Pratt & Whitney, U.S. Air Force Partner on Engine Development

Pratt & Whitney announced a partnership this month with the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop an advanced engine.

The East Hartford-based jet engine manufacturer was awarded a contract for a test demonstration of a “novel architecture using a rotating engine detonation concept.”

The engine is designed to fly at higher Mach speeds, enabling more vehicle designs and applications in the future.

The demonstration will be done in partnership with Raytheon Missiles and Defense and Raytheon Technologies Center. 

The engine’s development came under Pratt’s GATORWORKS program, which was designed to rapidly produce lower-cost military engines.

Dave Stagney, director of GATORWORKS, said the program “was able to complete initial concept development well ahead of schedule,” and that efforts would continue to accelerate under the program.

AFRL Aerospace Directorate Michael Gregg called the engine both “novel and military relevant” and said Pratt had made “considerable progress” on the engine to date.