80,000 Engines and Still Counting

It was in 1925 Frederick Rentschler founded Pratt & Whitney and the 90 long years have been more than eventful for a company which has contributed so immensely to the aviation industry. From its very first aircraft engine the 410 horsepower, air-cooled Wasp to its game-changing technology in the PurePower PW1000G engine, Pratt & Whitney has indeed come a long way. It promises to continue this hoary tradition of delivering some of the best aircraft engines.

Pratt & Whitney Canada has produced over 80,000 engines, of which there are currently more than 50,000 engines in service with about 10,000 operators in 200 countries. Pratt & Whitney designs and manufactures auxiliary power units and turbojet engines for commercial and military aircraft. Its contribution to commercial and regional aviation is immense, to say the least.

Over 13,000 large commercial engines

With more than 13,000 large commercial engines installed today, Pratt & Whitney provides dependable power to hundreds of airlines and operators every day. The fleet of commercial engines has logged over one billion hours of flight, powering the narrow- and wide-body aircraft that fly both passengers and cargo around the world. Pratt & Whitney’s large commercial engines power more than 25 per cent of the world’s mainline passenger aircraft fleet. The company continues to develop new engines and work with its partners in International Aero Engines and the Engine Alliance to meet airline customers’ future needs.

The portfolio of commercial engines is highly impressive basically because of its performance and its contribution to the growth of the aviation industry. The array of engines include the PurePower PW1000G; V2500; GP7200; PW4000-94; PW4000-100; PW4000-112; PW2000; PW6000; JT8D and JT9D.

PurePower PW1000G, game-changer

Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1000G engine family is not just a concept or a promise for the future – it is reality. With 20 years of research and development, component rig testing on all major modules, extensive ground and flight testing of a full-scale demonstrator engine complete and extensive ground and flight testing of its first two engine series well underway, the PurePower PW1000G engine with Geared Turbofan technology delivers game-changing reductions in fuel burn; environmental emissions; engine noise and lower operating costs.

The PurePower engine has been selected as exclusive power for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) and the Bombardier CSeries. It has also been selected by Russia’s Irkut Corporation to power the Irkut MC-21 aircraft. In 2011, Airbus announced it will offer Pratt & Whitney’s award-winning geared turbofan engine as an ultra-fuel-efficient new engine option (neo) for its A320neo family of aircraft. Also Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer selected the PurePower engine as the exclusive power for its new second generation of the E-Jet aircraft family.

V2500 from global partnership

The V2500 engine is designed and manufactured by International Aero Engines, a global partnership of aerospace leaders including Pratt & Whitney, Japanese Aero Engine Corporation and MTU Aero Engines. V2500 engines offer the most advanced technologies in the 22,000- to 33,000-pound thrust range with lowest overall emissions in its class. The IAE V2500 SelectOne build standard entered service on schedule in October 2008. SelectOne delivers reduced fuel burn along with a corresponding reduction in emissions, and a time on-wing improvement while further enhancing the engine’s durability.

GP7200 from Engine Alliance

The GP7200 is derived from two of the most successful wide-body engine programmes in aviation history — the Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture between General Electric Aviation and Pratt & Whitney. The result is the GP7200, a twin spool axial flow turbofan that delivers 70,000 pounds of thrust for the Airbus A380. The GP7200 entered service in 2008 with the world’s largest A380 fleet, Emirates. The first GP7200-powered A380 was delivered to Air France in 2009. Since entering service, the GP7200 has achieved a 99.9 per cent departure reliability rating without experiencing a single in-flight shutdown.

PW4000-94 logs 120 million flight hours

The PW4000 94-inch fan engine is the first model in the PW4000 family of high-thrust engines. It covers a range of 52,000 to 62,000 pounds of thrust and has five major aircraft applications. Approved for 180-minute extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS), the engine provides airlines with excellent operational flexibility and high reliability. The engine’s benefits are further enhanced by excellent performance retention, long on-wing times and low maintenance costs.

Since entering revenue service in 1987, Pratt & Whitney has delivered more than 2,500 PW4000-94 engines that have collectively logged more than 120 million dependable flight hours on commercial aircraft around the world.

PW4000-100 for superior performance

Pratt & Whitney has taken its successful PW4000 100-inch engine for the Airbus A330 to new heights with the introduction of the PW4170 Advantage70 programme. Advantage70 technology delivers superior engine performance, including a 2 per cent thrust increase, more than one per cent reduction in fuel consumption, increased durability, and reduced maintenance costs. Developed specifically for the Airbus A330 twinjet and introduced in 1994, the PW4000 100-inch fan engine has thrust capability from 64,500 to 70,000 pounds at take-off.

PW4000-112 cost competitive

The PW4000 112-inch engine, an ultra-high-thrust model covering the 74,000 to 90,000 pound-thrust class, is the reliability, experience and ETOPS leader for the 777 aircraft, providing the best customer value. The PW4000 112-inch engine retains the outstanding accessibility and component modularity of other PW4000 family members to reduce maintenance time and cost. For transportability, the engine can be shipped in a 747F aircraft as a complete engine. Also, the fan case is easily separated from the engine’s core for split shipment without disturbing the bearing compartments.

PW2000 for improved reliability

Pratt & Whitney’s PW2000 engine covers the mid-thrust range from 37,000 to 43,000 pounds. The PW2000 powers all models of the twin-engine Boeing 75C-32A, the military version of the 757. The PW2000 engine entered revenue service in 1984 as the first commercial engine with FADEC technology. Pratt & Whitney introduced an improved version of the PW2000, the reduced temperature configuration (RTC) in 1994. This enhanced model offers improved reliability and durability for long on-wing times and reduced total maintenance cost, along with excellent environmental performance.

PW6000 for short-haul aircraft market

The PW6000 engine covers the 18,000- 24,000-pound thrust class and is targeted for 100-seater passenger aircraft. The PW6000 is currently offered on the Airbus A318, which is part of the successful A320 aircraft family. For airlines contemplating the future acquisition of new 100-seater passenger aircraft, the PW6000 is an excellent choice as it was specifically designed for high-cycle operation in the demanding short-haul aircraft market. The PW6000 meets the challenges of low cost, clean, quiet, reliable and durable power for airline customers.

JT8D durable engine

Pratt & Whitney introduced the JT8D to commercial aviation in 1964 with the inaugural flight of Boeing’s 727-100 aircraft. The JT8D engine has proven itself to be a highly durable and reliable engine, having completed more than 673 million dependable flying hours since entering service. Once deemed the workhorse of the industry, more than 14,750 JT8D engines have flown. Today, there are 2,400 engines still in use. The eight models that make up the JT8D family cover a thrust range from 14,000 to 17,000 pounds. The JT8D-200 series, which entered service in 1980, offers 18,500 to 21,700 pounds of thrust, and is the exclusive power for the popular MD-80 series aircraft. The JT8D-200 builds on the family’s excellent reliability and low maintenance costs while meeting noise and emissions regulations.

JT9D high-bypass ration engine

Pratt & Whitney’s JT9D engine opened a new era in commercial aviation: the high-bypass-ratio engine to power wide-bodied aircraft. Since entering service on the Boeing 747 aircraft in 1970, the JT9D engine has proven itself to be the workhorse for early 747, 767, A300, A310 and DC-10 aircraft models with more than 3,200 cumulative engines delivered.

The JT9D engine family consists of three distinct series. The JT9D-7 engine covers the 46,300- to 50,000-pound-thrust range, and the JT9D-7Q series has a 53,000 pound thrust rating. Later models, the -7R4 series, cover the 48,000- to 56,000-pound-thrust range. For JT9D-7R4 twinjet installations, the engines are approved for 180-minute ETOPS.

From the Wasp to the Geared Turbofan and the F135, for Pratt & Whitney it has always been about perfecting the best engine.