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.

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 Wins Japanese Military Contract (Hartford Courant)
• Japan Picks Lockheed to Build Its Next Fighter Jet (New York Times)
• U.S. F-35 picked as mainstay fighter (Japan Times)
• Japan Fighter Buy Bolsters U.S. Leverage In Asia (Forbes)
• Lockheed hopes to press F-35 momentum (DoD Buzz)
• Japan picks Lockheed F-35 fighter as allies stress tight ties (Reuters)
• Lockheed Martin Wins Japan Order for 42 F-35 Fighter Planes (Bloomberg)
• Lockheed Lightning II Strikes in Tokyo (Aviation Week)
• Japan selects troubled F-35 as new fighter jet (AFP)
• Japan chooses Lockheed's F-35 as its next-generation fighter (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
• Japan swoops for F-35, shoots down Typhoon, F/A-18E/F (Flight International)
  

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:

• Pratt Gets Engine Order For Indian C-17s (Aviation Week)
• Pratt’s cargo-jet engines for India’s air force (Hartford Business Journal)
• Pratt & Whitney bags IAF engine contract for Boeing C-17s (Economic Times)
• P&W wins deal for engines in C-17 plane for India (Top News)
• P&W engines for India's C-17s (UPI)
  

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:

• JetBlue to Buy Pratt Engines Valued at $1.03 Billion (Bloomberg)
• Jetblue orders 86 Pratt engines for Airbus jets (Reuters)
• JetBlue Opts For PW1100G Geared Turbofan (Aviation Week)

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).

Coverage:

• NASA Fires Up Engine for Giant New Rocket (SPACE.com)
  

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Boosts Latest Mars Rover to the Red Planet

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 26, 2011 – Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne demonstrated the consistent reliability of its power and propulsion systems by successfully boosting the Mars Science Laboratory rover, which will travel to the red planet to assess its habitability. The mission launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The Atlas V is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 booster engine, and the Centaur upper stage is powered by the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10 engine.

The Atlas V Centaur upper stage is powered by a single RL10A4-2 engine that delivers 22,300 pounds of thrust. The Atlas V Common Core booster is powered by the RD-180 engine and delivers nearly 1 million pounds of thrust. The RD-180 is the only liquid oxygen/kerosene fueled engine with an oxygen-rich staged-combustion cycle flying in the United States today.

Read Pratt & Whitney's press release here.

Coverage:

• L.A. Times: NASA launches largest-ever Mars rover
• National Journal: NASA Launches Mission to Mars
• Christian Science Monitor: For NASA's rover Curiosity, it's 'Mars or Bust!'
• San Fernando Valley Business Journal: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Ends 2011 Missions with Mars Rover Launch
• Reuters (via Montreal Gazette): Rover sniffs out possibility of life on Mars
  

P&W-Powered ‘Spirit of Freedom’ Greets Manchester Road Race Runners

Entrants in the Manchester, Conn., Road Race on Thanksgiving Day had plenty of reasons to keep their eyes on the road. But before the field of 15,000 could hit the streets, a Pratt & Whitney-powered aircraft gave runners a reason to look to the sky.

A Douglas C-54E Skymaster - "Spirit of Freedom" - did a flyover before the start of the 4.748-mile race, providing a patriotic sendoff for the 75th running of the event. The cargo plane was one of 330 Skymasters used in the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 1949, as Allied aircraft airlifted more than 2.3 million tons of food and supplies into West Berlin.

The "Spirit of Freedom" was retired from military service in the 1970s, according to the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation, which owns and operates the C-54E. The foundation acquired the aircraft in 1992, restoring it and creating a museum and memorial inside the aircraft. The "Spirit of Freedom" now makes regular appearances at air shows and events throughout the United States.

The C-54E Skymaster is powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-2000 Twin Wasp engines. The R-2000 was a derivative of the R-1830 Twin Wasp, designed for the Douglas DC-4. Pilot Tim Chopp said the R-2000s are still providing dependable power, more than 60 years after the aircraft first entered service.

Pratt & Whitney is a longtime sponsor of the Manchester Road Race.

View photos of the C-54 Skymaster via the Pratt & Whitney Facebook page.

Coverage:

• Hartford Courant: 'Spirit' Of Berlin Airlift To Help Launch Road Race
• Journal Inquirer: 'Spirit' will be in the air
  

American Airlines Selects IAE’s V2533-A5 to Power New A321 Fleet

International Aero Engines has entered into an agreement that will enable IAE to play a key role in American Airlines’ fleet transformation. As a part of this pact, IAE will provide American’s future fleet of new Airbus A321 aircraft with its V2533-A5 engines. The financial terms and conditions of the transaction have not been disclosed.

This engine selection supports American’s July 2011 fleet order for 130 current-generation A320 family aircraft. American expects to take delivery of the A321 aircraft that are part of that order between 2013 and 2017.

Read the International Aero Engines presss release here.

Coverage:

• Dallas Morning News: American Airlines picks A319s and A321s as part of its Airbus deal
• ATW: American selects CFM56-5B-powered A319s and A321s with V2500-A5s
• Dallas Business Journal: American selects Airbus models for order
• Tulsa World: American Airlines' order for 130 Airbus aircraft launches massive fleet renewal plan

PurePower® PW1000G Geared Turbofan™ Engine Named to TIME Magazine’s ‘50 Best Inventions of 2011’

TIME Magazine has named Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower® PW1000G engine as one of “The 50 Best Inventions of 2011,” describing it as "the most important development in aviation in 2011.”

“We are very pleased to accept this recognition from TIME Magazine,” said Paul Adams, senior vice president, Operations & Engineering, Pratt & Whitney. “The PurePower Geared Turbofan engine is setting a new standard in the industry for efficiency and environmental friendliness."

Read the full Pratt & Whitney press release here.

Coverage:

• Sustainable Business: 6 Green Inventions Honored in Time Mag's 50 Best Inventions
• Hartford Business Journal: Proud Pratt's PurePower on Time's '50 Best'
• Hartford Courant: PurePower Honored By Time Magazine

Qatar Airways Selects Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines for Airbus A320neo Aircraft Family

DUBAI AIR SHOW, Nov 15, 2011 – Qatar Airways has selected Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM engines for its order of 50 firm A320neo family aircraft. The deal includes 100 PW1100G-JM engines with a PureSolutionSM maintenance service agreement. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2015.

Each Qatar Airways 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.

Read Pratt & Whitney's press release here.

Coverage:

• Bloomberg: Qatar Air CEO Makes Up With Airbus After Lashing Planemaker
• BBC News: Qatar flexes its muscle in Airbus deal
• Reuters: Qatar, Airbus make up and sign £4 billion deal
• Hartford Courant: Pratt & Whitney Wins 200 PurePower Engine Sales At Dubai
• Khaleej Times: Qatar Airways places $6.4b Airbus order
• Aviation Week: Post-Spat, Qatar Goes For A380, A320NEO