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Pratt & Whitney Enters Partnership with Turkish Industry On Joint Strike Fighter F135 Engine

Contact: Matthew Perra
Phone:(860) 565-8938
matthew.perra@pw.utc.com

PARIS AIR SHOW -- June 14, 2005 -- Pratt & Whitney announced today that it has awarded manufacturing work for critical components of the Joint Strike Fighter's (JSF) F135 propulsion system to Turkish aerospace companies Alp Aviation and KaleKalip. The companies signed individual letters of intent during a press conference held at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France.

"Pratt & Whitney is committed to growing international participation in the F135 program by identifying best value sourcing opportunities in JSF partner nations," said Pratt & Whitney president Louis Chênevert. "Today, Alp Aviation and KaleKalip join more than 35 companies in the eight JSF partner nations who will come together to produce the F135 propulsion system."

Alp Aviation will manufacture the F135's fan rear hub and KaleKalip will produce F135 compressor shrouds, components critical to the operation of the F135 engine. Both companies bring demonstrated experience, precision machining capabilities, and a reputation for quality, making them key assets to the F135 program. These awards are the culmination of a six-month selection process that ultimately found Alp Aviation and KaleKalip to be the best value suppliers for this hardware.

"Alp Aviation is honored to be among the first companies in Turkey to secure F135 business," said Tuncer Alpata, Alp Aviation Chairman. "Today's announcement is a first step towards building a strong business relationship with Pratt & Whitney on the JSF program. Alp Aviation will invest in new equipment and create employment opportunities to manufacture the F135 fan rear hub. We are very enthusiastic about becoming a long-term strategic supplier to Pratt & Whitney."

"This is undoubtedly a great achievement for KaleKalip and the Turkish aerospace industry," said Murat Toprak, KaleKalip’s Defense and Aerospace Director. "Pratt & Whitney has shown great leadership and has become a model company in identifying best value sources in Turkey. We are proud to be a part of such an important program by producing F135 compressor shrouds. KaleKalip further establishes itself as a world-class company through this long-term partnership with Pratt & Whitney."

The technologically advanced F135, power for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, is the only propulsion system currently in the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the JSF development program. To date, the F135 has accumulated more than 3,000 SDD test hours, in addition to the more than 3,500 hours accumulated during pre-SDD testing.

In August, Pratt & Whitney will begin assembly of the first flight test F135 engine, which will be delivered to Lockheed Martin in December of this year. The F135 program will achieve Initial Flight Release in January 2006 and will be the only engine to power the F-35's first flight in August 2006.

The F135 is an evolution of the highly successful F119 engine for the F/A-22 Raptor. Together the F135 and F119 will have logged more than one million flight hours before the F-35’s introduction into operational service in 2012. The F135 propulsion system team consists of Pratt & Whitney, the prime contractor with responsibility for the main engine and system integration; Rolls-Royce, providing lift components for the STOVL F-35B; and Hamilton Sundstrand, provider of the F135’s control system, external accessories and gearbox.

Alp Aviation, located in Eskisehir, Turkey, is a world-class manufacturer of aircraft and engine parts and components, supporting a number of international and Turkish companies. Alp Aviation is a joint venture between the Alpata Corporation and Sikorsky Aircraft, a division of United Technologies Corporation, Pratt & Whitney's parent company.

KaleKalip, a division of the Kale Company, is a leader in the aerospace and defense sector and is active in system design and manufacture of a variety of weapons systems, as well as precision parts manufacturing for aircraft and engine parts to customers worldwide. KaleKalip has two facilities and is located in Istanbul, Turkey.

Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) company, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines.

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