Saturday, December 31, 2011

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne: Smoke and Fire



Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne powered 14 successful launches during 2011. Payloads included humans, cargo and satellites vital to space exploration, worldwide communication, navigation, defense, research and development and weather prediction.

You can view highlights from each launch in the video embedded in this post.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Japanese Ministry of Defense Announces Plans to Purchase F-35 Aircraft

The Japanese Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa has announced the selection of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the F-X program. The F-35 is produced by Lockheed Martin and powered by Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine. The announcement includes 42 installed engines, spare engines and a logistics support program.

The Japanese government’s decision to select the F-35 Lightning II as the Japan Air Self Defense Force’s (JASDF) next-generation fighter makes Japan the second country to receive the F-35 through the United States government’s Foreign Military Sales process, and the 13th F-35 customer.

“We are honored to be part of the Japanese F135-powered F-35 selection and look forward to supporting the Japan Air Self Defense Force and Japanese aerospace industry,” said Bennett Croswell, president of Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. “This program selection builds on the strong relationship Pratt & Whitney has with JASDF and Japanese industry over the past 30 years on the F100 engine powering their F-15 fighters.”

Click here to read Pratt & Whitney's press release.

Coverage:

Pratt & Whitney Receives Engine Contract for Boeing C-17s Sold to India

Pratt & Whitney recently received a contract to produce the first four F117-PW-100 engines that will power the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III for the Indian Air Force. The engines will be delivered in second quarter of 2012. Earlier this year, India’s Ministry of Defence signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the U.S. government to acquire 10 C-17s. India will take delivery of its first C-17s in early 2013.

Four F117s provide exclusive power for the C-17 Globemaster III -- the world’s premier heavy airlifter. The F117-PW-100 is the sister engine of Pratt & Whitney’s PW2037 commercial engine powering the Boeing 757. With more than 50 million hours of proven military and commercial use, the F117/PW2037 has consistently proven itself as a world-class dependable engine. Pratt & Whitney’s ongoing investment in product improvements has enabled the engine to continuously surpass established goals for time on wing, in-flight shut downs and support turnaround time.

Click here to read Pratt & Whitney's press release.

Coverage:

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines Selected for JetBlue’s Airbus A320neo Aircraft Family

JetBlue Airways has selected Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM engines to power its order of 40 firm A320neo family aircraft. The MOU includes 86 PurePower engines with a long-term PureSolution(SM) maintenance service agreement. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2018.

Each JetBlue Airbus A320neo family aircraft will be powered by two PurePower PW1100G-JM engines with benefits including double-digit reductions in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs when compared with today's engines.

Click here to read JetBlue's press release. Click here to read Pratt & Whitney's press release.

Coverage:

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

NASA: J-2X Combustion Stability Test a Success



The J-2X rocket engine passed its first combustion stability test on Dec. 1, according to NASA. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is developing the J-2X engine, which has been selected by NASA as an upper-stage engine for the Space Launch System (SLS).

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