Jet-engine maker , Pratt and Whitney , announced Monday that the , U. S. Department of Defense , had awarded the company a new contract worth up to$ 1.3 billion for additional fighter-jet engine improvements, an initiative that supports tens of thousands of jobs across the , U. S.
The , East Hartford-headquartered agency’s continued work on the” F135 Engine Core Upgrade” aims to boost the strength of F135 vehicles. The F135s energy the three variations of the F-35 Lightning II warrior plane, which are made by another aerospace-and-defense large,  , Lockheed Martin, whose various organizations include , Stratford-based aircraft maker , Sikorsky.
Pratt &, Whitney ‘s , new contract follows its announcement in July that it had completed the F135 EC U’s preliminary design review — a milestone that showed , Pratt &, Whitney , and the , Department of Defense ‘s , F-35 Joint Program Office were aligned on the upgrade’s design, company officials said. Now, more than 700 professionals and system managers are working full-time on the program,  , Pratt &, Whitney , authorities say.
” This contract is critical to continuing our positive forward momentum on this program” , , Jill Albertelli, president of , Pratt &, Whitney ‘s , Military Engines business said. With a fully-staffed group focused on design development, aircraft inclusion, and mobilizing the provide base to make for production, it allows us to remain working in the risk reduction phase.
To time,  , Pratt &, Whitney , has delivered more than 1, 200 F135 manufacturing vehicles, with more than 900, 000 website flight time recorded, according to company data. The F135 ECU may be incorporated into F-35s at the level of manufacturing or retrofitted at one of the F135 “depot sustainment services” around the world, and it will be available to all F-35 users, business authorities said.
An injury in , December 2022 , that involved an F-35B aircraft at the , Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth , in , Texas  , led to a temporary suspension of F135 website sales. A couple of months later,  , Pratt &, Whitney , authorities announced that the firm had found a solution for a noise problem known as rhythmic frequency, which they said had affected a small number of aviation.
Around the time of the disclosure of the F135 fix,  , Pratt &, Whitney , officials announced that the company had been awarded a$ 5.2 billion contract for continued production of F135s.
In their announcement of the new contract,  , Pratt &, Whitney , officials also cited the economic impact of the F135 program in , Connecticut, in , Maine, where the company has a manufacturing facility, and other parts of the , U. S.  , F135 work supports more than 57, 000 jobs across 43 states, according to company data.
The jobs number might include suppliers to , Pratt &, Whitney, as the company has about 43, 000 employees worldwide, according to its website. The company has 11, 000 employees in , Connecticut, the , Connecticut Business &, Industry Association  , reported in January.
” We are fortunate to have bipartisan and bicameral support from our congressional advocates, especially the , Connecticut , and , Maine , delegations led by senior appropriators” Sen.  , Susan Collins, a , Maine , Republican, and , Connecticut ‘s , state Rep.  , Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, said , Jeff Shockey, senior vice president of global government relations for RTX, which is , Pratt &, Whitney ‘s , parent company. Their unwavering support for the F135 guarantees that it will provide essential capabilities for decades to come.
Among other initiatives,  , Pratt &, Whitney , has been pursuing expansion plans at its headquarters in , East Hartford. In April, the company received approval from local officials to construct a five-story, 313, 000-square-foot office building.
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