Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corporation, has recently won 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 Defence Ministry signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the US government to acquire 10 C-17s. India will take delivery of its first C-17s in early 2013.
"We are delighted the Indian Air Force has selected the C-17 with Pratt & Whitney F117 engines to support its airlift mission,” said Pratt & Whitney Military Programs and Customer Support vice president Bev Deachin.
"The F117 is suited for a wide range of operating environments and conditions and it has demonstrated superb performance and reliability from the Antarctic to the deserts of the Middle East. We look forward to helping strengthen India’s aerospace capabilities and humanitarian efforts,” Deachin said.
Four F117s provide exclusive power for the C-17 Globemaster III. 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 military and commercial use, the F117/PW2037 has been a consistently performing engine.
Pratt & Whitney’s has an ongoing investment in product improvements for the engine to continuously surpass established goals for time-on-wing, in-flight shut downs and support turnaround time.
Boeing has delivered 239 C-17s featuring F117 engines worldwide, including 25 with international customers.
The U.S. Air Force, including active National Guard and Reserve units, has taken delivery of 214 C-17s.
Other customers include the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, the Qatar Emiri Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations, and the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence.
Pratt & Whitney carries out design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Connecticut, US, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries. |