Epstein Talks (Geared Turbofan) Technology with Airplane Geeks

Alan Epstein, vice president, Technology & Environment, Pratt & Whitney, is featured on episode No. 182 of the Airplane Geeks podcast. In a 32-minute interview with Max Flight and friends, Epstein fields questions about the history and evolution of the geared turbofan technology, the benefits of the Pratt & Whitney PurePower engine, and the engine's impact on the marketplace.

" ... The history for the last 20, 30 years has been the airframers have said we're going to build this airplane, give us a proposal for an engine. The GTF is unique. ... There was this demo engine that flew in 2007, and the communications people painted a slogan on the nacelle that said 'This Changes Everything.' And I thought that was advertising enthusiasm, but to my surprise, it has. The fact that the GTF is there made the Bombardier and MRJ airplanes so attractive, forced Airbus and Boeing to do something - they could've come up with new airplanes or re-engine. They chose to re-engine. So this is getting back to the good old days from an engine point of view, where you build a great engine and people start designing airplanes around it. ..."

The Epstein interview begins at 03:30 and runs through 35:30. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Visit www.purepowerengine.com for more information about the PurePower engine.

NASA: J-2X Begins New Series of Tests

NASA is set to begin a series of tests on the powerpack for the J-2X engine. The tests, at the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center, will evaluate a full range of operating conditions.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is developing the J-2X engine to power the upper stage of the NASA Space Launch System.

Click here for additional information - and photos - from NASA.

Coverage:

• Stennis testing next generation space flight engines (The Picayune Item)
  

F-35 Performs First Night Flight

Video Credit: Lockheed Martin

This video from Lockheed Martin shows the first night flight in the history of the F-35 Program. (The flight was completed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.) Watch this clip and see the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine at work!

Coverage:

• F-35 performs first night flight (Flight International)
• Night flights commence for F-35 (Marine Corps Times)
• Stunning Pictures Of The F-35's First Night Flight (Business Insider)
• F-35 Conducts First Night Flight As Tests Continue (Ottawa Citizen)
  

P&W Rocketdyne Vice President Interviewed on 'Space Show'

Steve Bouley, vice president, Launch Vehicle and Hypersonic Systems, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, was a guest on the Jan. 18 edition of The Space Show. In a 60-minute interview with Dr. David Livingston, Bouley discusses the RS-68 and RL10B-2 engines, which power the Delta IV; the evolution of hypersonic technology and other subjects.

Click here to listen to broadcast No. 1692 of The Space Show.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Engines Power the Rocket Boosting the Latest Communications Satellite for U.S. Department of Defense

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne demonstrated the consistent reliability of its propulsion systems by successfully boosting the fourth in a series of Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellites to increase communications capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense. The mission launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV medium rocket with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 and RL10B-2 engines providing the booster and upper-stage propulsion, respectively.

The WGS satellites are part of a larger system that increases military communications capabilities for U.S. and alliance forces deployed worldwide. They help support the exchange of information, execution of tactical command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The RS-68 is the world's largest hydrogen-fueled engine, designed for heavy lift with 758,000 pounds of vacuum thrust and 663,000 pounds of sea-level thrust. The RL10B-2 is a unique cryogenic upper-stage engine that provides 465 seconds of specific impulse and 24,750 pounds of thrust.

Coverage:

• Air Force Launches New Military Communications Satellite Into Orbit (SPACE.com)
  

P&W Rocketdyne to Power Launch of Communications Satellite

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne stands poised to power the fourth in a series of Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) communications satellites for the U.S. military on Jan. 19. This launch is scheduled to take off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 and RL10B-2 engines providing booster and upper-stage propulsion, respectively.

Steve Bouley, vice president, Launch Vehicle and Hypersonic Systems, told the San Fernando Valley Business Journal more about the launch, which is the first of 11 scheduled missions for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne this year. Click here to read the full story.

Coverage:

• Satellite Launch First 2012 Mission for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (San Fernando Valley Business Journal)

Environmental Leader: BSkyB Uses Turboden Technology to Lower Emissions

Environmental Leader reports that BSkyB will use a Turboden Organic Rankine Cycle turbine to generate power, hot water and chilled water for its new main studio campus. BSkyB aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and improve its energy efficiency.

Turboden is a Pratt & Whitney Power Systems company.

Click here to read the full story from Environmental Leader.

NASA: RS-25D Engines Heading to Stennis

NASA is moving 15 RS-25D engines from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The RS-25D engines - better known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine - are being "repurposed" to power the core stage of the Space Launch System, according to NASA.

The RS-25D engine is built by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

Click here for a full story - and photos - from NASA.

Additional Coverage:

• NASA begins moving shuttle main engines to Stennis for future use (Huntsville Times)
• NASA Moves Shuttle Engines From Kennedy To Stennis (Space Travel)
  

Lockheed Martin: F-35 Program Exceeds 2011 Flight Test Goals

Lockheed Martin announced this week that the F-35 flight test program exceeded its goals for 2011. The System Development and Demonstration program flew 972 flights and verified 7,823 test points, against a plan of 872 flights and 6,622 test points.

The F-35 is powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine.

Click here to read the Lockheed Martin press release.

Coverage:

• Lockheed touts F-35 milestones (The Hill)
  

Lockheed Martin Delivers First Two Marine Corps F-35s to Eglin

[Video credit: Lockheed Martin, via YouTube]

Lockheed Martin reports that the first two production model F-35B short takeoff / vertical landing aircraft were delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps on Jan. 11. The aircraft - BF-6 and BF-8 - arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., after ferry flights from Fort Worth, Texas.

The F-35 is powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine.

Click here to read the Lockheed Martin press release.

Coverage:

• Lockheed delivers first two F-35Bs to training base (Flight International)
• Marine Corps welcomes first F-35B aircraft to its fleet (DVIDS)
• First F-35Bs arrive at Eglin AFB for training (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
• Marines receive first F-35 fighter planes (The Hill)
  

Pratt & Whitney Awarded $194M F135 Long-Lead Production Contract

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Pratt & Whitney a $194,097,296 long-lead production contract for F135 engines to power the F-35 Lightning II. The low rate initial production (LRIP) contract covers long-lead materials for the sixth lot of F135 engines, and provides Pratt & Whitney the ability to start procuring long-lead items for production engines.

The sixth lot calls for 37 install engines, including 18 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) engines for the U.S. Air Force; seven carrier variant (CV) engines for the U.S. Navy; six short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) propulsion systems for the U.S. Marine Corps; four CTOL engines for the Italian Air Force; and two CTOL engines for The Royal Australian Air Force. The main engines deliveries in LRIP 6 are slated to begin in June 2013.

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

Related item:

• Blumenthal, Larson, Courtney Announce $194 Million Contract for Pratt & Whitney (Office of Sen. Richard Blumenthal)

Coverage:

• Pratt wins $194 million for early work on F-35 engines (Reuters)
• Pratt Gets $194M Navy Contract For F-35 Engine Parts (Hartford Courant)
• Agreement reached on F-35 engines (UPI)
• Pratt & Whitney Wins Contract for F-35 Engines (Defense News)
• Pratt & Whitney Wins $194M Contract for F-35 Engines (Defense World)
• Pratt & Whitney secures $194 mill contract (WTNH-TV)
• Pratt lands $194M jet fighter contract (Hartford Business Journal)
  

Hartford Business: Engine Alliance President on a Mission

The Hartford Business Journal has named Engine Alliance President Mary Ellen Jones to its list of "5 To Watch In 2012" for her role on the Connecticut Airport Authority Board of Directors. Jones, who is chairwoman of the CAA, aims to transform Bradley International Airport.

Read the full story in the Hartford Business Journal.

Bangalore Aviation: PurePower Engine is 'Aviation Technology of the Year'

Bangalore Aviation named the Pratt & Whitney PurePower Engine its "Aviation Technology of the Year" for 2011.

Bangalore Aviation writes:

" ... no new technology has been as influential as the Geared TurboFan (GTF) offered by Pratt & Whitney on its new PurePower PW1000G series of engines to be used on aircraft such as the Bombardier CSeries, the Irkut MS-21, and the Airbus A320neo family."

Click here to read the full post.

United Technologies Corp. Chairman and CEO Louis Chênevert Named Person of the Year by Aviation Week

From an Aviation Week press release:

Aviation Week has selected Louis R. Chênevert, chairman and CEO of United Technologies Corp. (UTC), parent company to aerospace giants Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky and Hamilton Sundstrand, as its 2011 Person of the Year. With a series of bold — and surprising — deals, Chênevert ensured Pratt & Whitney's resurgence, while reinvigorating UTC as a force to be reckoned with in the aerospace and defense (A&D) industries. Complete coverage of the Person of the Year is included in a cover story in this week's Aviation Week & Space Technology.

"The sum of Louis Chênevert's achievements will reverberate for many years to come," said Anthony L. Velocci, Jr., editorial director of Aviation Week and editor-in-chief of Aviation Week & Space Technology. "He is the person who had the most impact on the industry in 2011."

Click here to read the full press release. Click here to read the Aviation Week cover story.

Coverage:

• UTC's Chênevert Named "Person Of The Year" By Aviation Week (Hartford Courant)
• Louis R. Chênevert named Person of the Year by Aviation Week (Montreal Gazette)
  

Pratt & Whitney Awarded Contract for F135 Engine Production Worth Up To $1.12B

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Pratt & Whitney an undefinitized contract award (UCA) not to exceed $1,122,306,649 for F135 production engines to power the F-35 Lightning II. Pratt & Whitney and the DoD have reached a tentative agreement on key terms for the low rate initial production (LRIP) 5 contract which contains fixed-price and cost-plus incentive fee elements. A total of $358,597,078 is being obligated at time of award, in addition to the $138,800,000 obligated in 2011 for advanced acquisition materials. This LRIP contract includes production engines, spare parts, program management, engineering support for production, sustainment and field support for the F135 engines.

The fifth lot of engines includes 21 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) engines for the U.S. Air Force; six carrier variant (CV) engines for the U.S. Navy; and three short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) propulsion systems for the U.S. Marine Corps. The engines in LRIP 5 will support the U.S. Services with main engine deliveries slated to begin in late-2012.

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

Coverage:

• Pratt & Whitney Wins New JSF Contract Worth Up To $1.1 Billion (Hartford Courant)
• United Technologies Scores a Billion Dollar Contract (Wall Street Cheat Sheet)
• United Technologies Unit Awarded Department of Defense Contract Valued at Up to $1.12 Billion (Financial News Network)
• Pratt & Whitney Awarded $1 Billion Engine Deal for F-35 (Aviation Today)