Pratt & Whitney Establishes Engine Performance Standards

Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate United Technologies Corporation, is vying for dominance of the aircraft engine market alongside major competitors Rolls Royce and General Electric. As such, it has also formed joined ventures with these companies. It is working in conjunction with GE in a joint venture called Engine Alliance in which it is manufacturing engines for the Airbus 380. It is also working with International Aero Engines, a Rolls-Royce company, in a joint venture called MTU Aero Engines for the manufacturing of engines for the Airbus A320 and McDonnell Douglas MD-90 aircraft.

As a current operating business unit of United Technologies, it is a sister company to Sikorsky Aircraft, Hamilton Sundstrand, UTC Fire & Security, UTC Power, Otis Elevator Company, and Carrier Corporation. Pratt & Whitney, a large American aerospace manufacturer that generates $14.5 billion in annual revenue, services over 11,000 customers in 180 different countries. In addition, they are involved in the manufacturing of gas turbines that are used in industrial and power generation, as well as marine turbines. Current active business divisions include the following: Commercial Engines, Global Material Solutions, Global Service Partners, Military Engines, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and Pratt & Whitney Power Systems.

Pratt & Whitney currently designs the F135 engine for the F-35 Lightning II, which is the most modern and also most expensive military aircraft program in the world. It is a reliable fifth-generation engine that was selected by the Department of Defense. Other military engines produced by Pratt & Whitney include engines used in the F-22 Raptor, F-15, F-16, F117, C-17, J52, EA-6B Prowler, KC-135, and many more. To date, the company has manufactured almost 7,000 engines that are currently used by 27 armed forces around the world. On the commercial side, Pratt & Whitney has produced more than 13,000 engines that are used by hundreds of airlines and other operators. Their engines have accounted for more than 1 billion total flight hours.