Pratt & Whitney Awarded $4 Billion JSF Engine Development Contract
Contact:
Pratt & Whitney Public Relations
(860)-565-9600
EAST HARTFORD, Conn., October 26, 2001 -- Pratt & Whitney was awarded a contract valued at more than $4 billion to develop its F135 engine for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. The F135 builds on the heritage of the F119 engine developed for the F/A-22 fighter. The contract, issued by the U.S. Department of Defense, covers activities in the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the JSF engine program, with an expected completion date in 2011.
"This SDD contract is very important to Pratt & Whitney, because it paves the way for us to begin production of the engines," said Louis Chênevert, president, Pratt & Whitney. "The JSF program has great potential for worldwide sales, and as part of the F119 family will be the backbone of our military engine future for decades to come. Our heartfelt congratulations go to Lockheed Martin for their winning aircraft concept. We look forward to working together to provide complete customer satisfaction and make the next phase of the program a success."
In its SDD contract, Pratt & Whitney will have prime contractor responsibility to develop the propulsion and lift system for three variants of the Lockheed Martin aircraft: a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) version for the U.S. Air Force; a carrier variant (CV) for the U.S. Navy; and a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) version for the U.S. Marine Corps and U.K.'s Royal Navy and Air Force. Activities will include the design and manufacturing of ground test engines, as well as subsequent production and support of flight test engines.
"We congratulate the Pratt & Whitney team for this well-deserved contract award," said Tom Burbage, executive vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. "The Pratt & Whitney engines that powered our JSF X-35 demonstrators truly showed themselves to be marvels of modern technology. They supplied enormous power and flexibility, they were totally reliable, and they were integral to the unqualified success of the X-35 flight-test program. A pilot couldn't ask for more. We now look forward to continuing our close relationship with the Pratt & Whitney team in the JSF's System Development and Demonstration phase."
Many tasks under the Pratt & Whitney contract will be performed by other major industry partners around the United States and Europe, including Rolls-Royce locations in Indiana and the United Kingdom. "One of the reasons why the JSF program has been so successful is because it promotes industrial cooperation between American and international companies," said Bob Cea, vice president of JSF concept demonstrator engine programs at Pratt & Whitney. "The United Kingdom and Rolls-Royce have been partners on the JSF program since day one. We look forward to working with a number of international companies as their countries become partners in the JSF program."
Receipt of the JSF SDD contract will not affect workforce reductions announced last week by United Technologies Corporation, Pratt & Whitney's parent company. Production of the JSF engines will not begin until 2007.
Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine, a derivative of the F119 engine powering the F/A-22 Raptor, was selected by both Boeing and Lockheed Martin to power their competing JSF demonstrator aircraft. The Lockheed Martin concept was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense as the winner of the demonstrator aircraft competition; a separate SDD contract has been issued to Lockheed Martin. Potential production for both domestic and international sales could be as much as 6,000 JSF aircraft over the life of the program.
Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies company (NYSE:UTX), is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines.
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