Pratt & Whitney’s F119 Engine Achieves Significant Milestones

Pratt & Whitney has delivered the 500th F119 engine, which powers the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, to the U.S. Air Force. This delivery is accompanied by another significant milestone for the F119 program – more than 20 years of simulated operational service through Accelerated Mission Tests (AMTs), an achievement that further demonstrates the maturity and dependability of the world's first fifth-generation fighter engine.

An accelerated mission test compresses many years of operational service into a short duration test, which allows for a robust evaluation of engine durability. During the most recent period of testing, an F119 production engine ran for nearly 570 hours, accumulating more than 2,000 cycles or approximately four years of service. Combined with previous testing, this engine has now surpassed 20 years of simulated operational service. Pratt & Whitney F119 engines have accumulated over 230,000 of actual operational flight hours powering the F-22 fleet.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release. 

Pratt & Whitney Selected for Negotiations for U.S. Air Force Adaptive Engine Technology Development Program

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), has been selected for negotiations by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for the Adaptive Engine Technology Development (AETD) program. The AETD program is an initiative by the AFRL Aerospace Systems Directorate to mature critical fuel efficiency technologies and engine design features that could transition into legacy and next generation military combat aircraft.

P&W’s proposed AETD program will lead to demonstration testing of an advanced high pressure ratio core in late 2015, to be followed in 2016 by full engine testing of a three-stream adaptive fan and three-stream compatible augmentor and exhaust system. The introduction of the third flow path stream will allow the engine operating conditions and resultant bypass ratio to be modulated to optimize performance across all power settings and flight conditions. This will significantly reduce total fuel consumption across multiple missions.

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

Coverage:

• 6th Gen Engines - Pratt In, Rolls Out, GE Stays On (Aviation Week: Ares Blog)
• U.S. taps Pratt to pen fuel-efficient warplane motor (Hartford Business Journal)
• GE, P&W selected to build fuel-efficient military engine demonstrators (Flight International)

Pratt & Whitney: Power People Depend On

This video was produced for use on the Pratt & Whitney exhibit at the Farnborough Air show.

Pratt & Whitney Celebrates 40 Years of F100 Engine Power

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW - Pratt & Whitney celebrates 40 years of F100 propulsion, marking the development and delivery of its first F100 engines to support the F-15’s first flight on July 27, 1972. Today, the F100 engine powers the F-15, F-16 and X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS), with an expanding F100 family of variants. Twenty-four customers worldwide have selected the F100 to power their F-15 and F-16 fighter jets over the past 40 years.

Pratt & Whitney’s F100 engine is one of the most successful fighter engines in history. The combat-proven engine has more than 27 million engine flying hours of experience. Pratt & Whitney has built more than 7,200 F100 engines for 23 countries around the world.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release. 

Pratt & Whitney Signs Agreement with Australian Supplier Broens Industries for Additional F135 Engine Work

FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW - Pratt & Whitney has awarded Broens Industries a follow on purchase order to manufacture complex support equipment for the sustainment solution of the F135 propulsion system powering the F-35 Lightning II. This new order valued at approximately $300,000 is for units which will be utilized at the first operational and training bases in the U.S.

Pratt & Whitney previously awarded Broens Industries a purchase order to develop and prototype complex support equipment specifically for removing and installing the F135 engine gearbox. This new order initiates the production phase of the project, with a potential value estimated at more than $7 million.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release. 

Pratt & Whitney Delivers First Engines for Boeing C-17s to India

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW - Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), has delivered the first four F117 engines for the Indian Air Force to power its fleet of Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. India’s Ministry of Defence signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the U.S. government in 2011 to acquire 10 C-17s. India will take delivery of its first C-17s in mid 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 PW2040 commercial engine, which powers the Boeing 757. With more than 50 million hours of proven military and commercial use, the F117/PW2037 has 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 the Pratt & Whitney press release. 

Pratt & Whitney Celebrates the Inauguration of a New Middle East Propulsion Company Facilit

The Middle East Propulsion Company (MEPC), a joint venture between Pratt & Whitney’s parent company United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX), Saudi Arabian Airlines, Mohawearean Aviation Services Company and MTU Aero Engines has opened a new aircraft-engine maintenance facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to handle increasing needs for maintenance and repair of military aircraft engines in the region.

The 194,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will easily accommodate forecast growth in both existing and new product lines. MEPC has been the overhaul provider of choice for the Royal Saudi Air Force’s F100-PW-220/220E engines since it opened in 2001. The facility’s current product lines also include the RB199 engines for RSAF’s Tornado aircraft, the T56 engines for the C-130 and Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6 for the PC-9 Pilatus. Growth plans include expanding the facility’s portfolio to include engines for military helicopters, tanks and others vehicles.

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

Coverage: 

• MEPC moves into state of the art facility in Saudi Arabia (defpro)
• U.S. group opens new MRO unit in Saudi (Trade Arabia)

Pratt & Whitney, Italian Air Force Celebrate Successful F-16 'Peace Caesar' and F100 Fleet Management Programs

Pratt & Whitney and the Italian Air Force celebrated the highly successful Peace Caesar F-16 lease program and supporting Pratt & Whitney F100 Fleet Management Program during the F-16 departure ceremony on May 23 at Trapani Air Base, Italy. The Performance Based Logistics program was designed to provide affordable readiness for the Italian Air Force fleet when they began to operate the F-16 in 2003.

The program capitalized on the unique resources of Pratt & Whitney, the United States Air Force and Italian Air Force including partnering with the Italian Air Force maintenance team at Cervia Air Base for engine maintenance. The team managed Italy’s F100-PW-220 engines through nine years of operation and 47,000 flight hours.

The Pratt & Whitney-powered fleet of F-16 fighters flew key missions for the Italian Air Force at home and abroad. Italy’s F-16s played an important role in the Italian Air Force’s support of recent NATO peacekeeping missions, and in several notable domestic missions, including the Papal inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI, the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2009 G8 Summit.

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

Paul Adams Inducted Into Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering

Paul Adams, Pratt & Whitney’s senior vice president of Operations & Engineering, was recently inducted into the distinguished Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering (CASE) for his outstanding contributions to jet propulsion technology.

Adams was recognized for his technical leadership in the engineering development and production of game-changing technological products such as Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine and the F135 engine that powers the F-35 Lightning II.

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

Coverage:

• CASE honors Pratt engine-designer Paul Adams (Hartford Business Journal)

Croswell Talks Engine Upgrades in Flight's 'In Focus'

Bennett Croswell, president, Military Engines, discusses the possibility of commercial engine technologies driving the next round of military engine upgrades in an "In Focus" feature in Flight International.

"With the [A320]neo launch we have yet another core we can explore," Croswell said.

Read the full story on the Flight International website. 

Hess: ‘It's a Transformational Period in Our Core Engine Businesses'

Video Credit: Royal Aeronautical Society, via YouTube

Pratt & Whitney President David Hess was the guest of honor at the Royal Aeronautical Society's annual banquet in London on May 16. The event typically draws 400 to 500 guests from all sectors of aerospace and aligns with the society's mission of advancing aeronautical art, science and engineering around the world.

While in London, Hess was interviewed by Tim Robinson of the Royal Aeronautical Society. In the 23-minute interview, Hess fielded general questions about Pratt & Whitney's business and provided an update on the development of the PurePower engine. The interview also covered the company's aftermarket business, focus areas – performance, cost reduction – on the F135 engine program, the history of the geared turbofan concept and step changes in engine efficiency over time.

Speaking in his role as chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association, Hess also described the biggest challenge – budget sequestration – facing the aerospace and defense industry in the United States.

Pratt & Whitney Delivers 50th F135 Engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Pratt & Whitney has successfully delivered the 50th production F135 engine – powering Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II – to the U.S. Department of Defense.

The 50th engine is scheduled to be installed in a F-35C Carrier Variant (CV) for the United States Navy. The F-35C aircraft will be delivered to Eglin Air Force Base for Navy pilot training.

Pratt & Whitney remains committed to increasing production levels while decreasing costs. To date, Pratt & Whitney and its suppliers have been able to reduce the cost by more than 25 percent on the CV/Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) engine, compared to the original test engines. Engine production output in 2012 is expected to double from 2011, as was demonstrated from 2010 to 2011.

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

Related Coverage:

•  Pratt & Whitney Bets Big Profits Loom, If F-35 Stays Healthy (AOL Defense)

P&W President Gives 'State of the Business' Briefing

(Video Credit: AirInsight, via YouTube)

Pratt & Whitney President David Hess provided a business briefing during Pratt & Whitney Media Day on Wednesday. The overview included program highlights from Commercial Engines (including a PurePower engine update), Military Engines, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Pratt & Whitney Power Systems.

Coverage:

• Pratt & Whitney’s David Hess Gives Upbeat Briefing (AirInsight)
• Pratt & Whitney chief sees long-term aerospace strength after a few ‘transitional’ years (Associated Press)
• A Flyover Highlights Pratt & Whitney's Plans for Dramatic Growth (Hartford Courant)

P&W, Boeing Sign Engine Contract to Power U.S. Air Force’s KC-46 Tanker

Bennett Croswell of Pratt & Whitney and Maureen Dougherty of Boeing hosted a ceremonial engine contract signing event on Tuesday at Boeing’s Tanker Program Office in Mukilteo, Wash., for contracts previously awarded to Pratt & Whitney. The contracts support PW4062 engine purchases to power Boeing’s KC-46, the U.S. Air Force’s new airlift tanker.

Two Pratt & Whitney PW4062 engines, each with a 94-inch fan blade diameter, will exclusively power each U.S. Air Force KC-46 aircraft. The program’s scope, if fully exercised, calls for as many as 368 PW4062 engines to be delivered between 2013 and 2027. Actual production engine procurement quantities will be determined over the life of the program as established by future purchase orders.

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

Coverage:

• Pratt & Whitney and Boeing Sign Engine Contract for KC-46 Tanker (Defense World)

Lieberman: 'I'm Going To Fight To Keep That Eagle Flying High and Strong'

U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman visited Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Conn., this week. Company leaders, including P&W President Dave Hess, took time to thank the senator for his support throughout his four terms in the U.S. Senate. Lieberman has supported the Pratt & Whitney-powered F-22 Raptor, C-17 Globemaster III, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the selection of Boeing and Pratt & Whitney for the Air Force aerial tanker contract.

Lieberman offered his ongoing support with some encouraging words for the employees gathered in the P&W Museum:

" ... As hard as we fight, and as much as we've learned about how to fight successfully in Congress, we wouldn't be successful unless you here at Pratt & Whitney turned out the best damn jet engines in the world."

" ... I'm going to continue fighting for Connecticut and for Pratt & Whitney right until that last day next January. And I'm going to fight to keep that eagle flying high and strong because I know that when the eagle flies high and strong, America is well protected. And I know that that eagle has under his great wings thousands of jobs for thousands of great workers and managers here in Connecticut."

Coverage:

• Pratt Rally Is Going-Away Party For Lieberman (Hartford Courant)
• Pratt & Whitney Employees, Thankful But Anxious About F-35 Sales, Hail Lieberman (Hartford Courant)
  

Pratt & Whitney Receives Maintenance Contract to Support F100 Engines for Royal Jordanian Air Force

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW, Feb. 14, 2012 – Pratt & Whitney has received a $19.2 million Material Management Program (MMP) contract with three, one-year options from the United States Air Force in support of F100-PW-220E engines powering the Royal Jordanian Air Force fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters. This two-year parts and maintenance program covers 68 engines, scheduled to be serviced at Pratt & Whitney San Antonio Engine Center.

Under the terms of this MMP, Pratt & Whitney will provide key support of the F100-PW-220E engines in the intermediate engine shop and at the depot level. The program has the potential for revenue growth up to $72 million if the optional years are exercised.

Pratt & Whitney’s F100, powering F-15 and F-16 aircraft worldwide, is one of the most successful fighter engines in history. The combat proven engine has more than 27 million engine flying hours of experience. More than 23 air forces around the world have chosen the F100 for safe, reliable power. Pratt & Whitney has built more than 7,200 F100 engines for customers around the globe.

View the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Coverage:

• Pratt & Whitney Boosted By Big Year For JSF Engines (Aviation International News)
  

Pratt & Whitney Receives Silver Boeing Performance Excellence Award

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW, Feb. 14, 2012 – The Boeing Company has recognized Pratt & Whitney as a 2011 Boeing Performance Excellence Award winner. Boeing issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance. Pratt & Whitney maintained a Silver composite performance rating for each month of the 12-month performance period, from Oct. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, 2011. This is the second consecutive year that Pratt & Whitney has received the honor.

Pratt & Whitney Military Engines supplies F117-PW-100 engines to Boeing for the C-17 Globemaster III and F100 engines for the F-15 Eagle fighters and PW4062 engines for the KC-46 Tanker.

View the Pratt & Whitney press release.

F119 Engine Marks Major Milestone

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW, Feb. 14, 2012 – Pratt & Whitney’s F119, the world’s first fifth-generation engine and the predecessor to the F135, has surpassed the 200,000 flight hour milestone powering Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor. This milestone recognizes the F119 as a fully mature engine. In addition, the F119 has demonstrated the safest and most reliable introduction of a fighter engine in United States Air Force history.

The progression from the F119 to the next generation F135 engine significantly decreases the operational risk of the single engine F-35 aircraft. The F135 is the only engine powering the F-35 aircraft and currently in production for customers worldwide.

View the Pratt & Whitney press release.

F135 Exceeds 20,000 Total Engine Hours

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW, Feb. 14, 2012 – Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine – exclusively powering Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II – exceeded 20,000 total engine hours while powering the fleet of F-35 flight test aircraft, including 17,700 ground test hours and 2,500 flight test hours. This marks yet another milestone for Pratt & Whitney and its partners.

The F-35 includes three variants to meet the unique needs of the U.S. armed forces as well as the international participants in the program – the Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL), the Carrier Variant (CV) and the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL). To date, the F135 propulsion system has completed more than 1,600 flight tests producing more than 2,500 flight hours and nearly 300 vertical landings. The successes of the F135 engine program validate the reliability, safety and performance of the engine.

View the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Coverage:

• Pratt & Whitney Boosted By Big Year For JSF Engines (Aviation International News)
  

Flight: P&W-Powered F-16s Delivered to Pakistan

Flight International reports that Pakistan recently received three F-16D Block 52 aircraft from the United States. The Block 52 aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines. Check out the Flight story, which includes photos from the Pakistan air force.

The F100-PW-229 EEP (Engine Enhancement Package) engine is the only fighter engine funded and qualified by the U.S. Air Force to 6,000-cycle capability and is the latest evolution of the F100 family of fighter aircraft engines.

The F100-PW-229 EEP engine increases the engine depot inspection interval from seven years to 10 years and provides up to a 30 percent cost reduction over the life the engine. The EEP will also offer significant safety benefits, with an expected 25 percent reduction in the already low probability of in-flight shutdown.