Honeywell-Pratt & Whitney JV to Develop Engine Tech for Vertical Lift Combat Helicopters

A Honeywell–Pratt & Whitney joint venture has secured a contract from the U.S. Army to develop and demonstrate new engine technologies to power a new fleet of vertical lift combat helicopters.

Advanced Turbine Engine Co. aims to build and test a new engine that will work to increase the vertical lift function, range, speed, payload, endurance and reliability of the Army Aviation rotorcraft as part of the military branch’s Alternate Concept Engine program, Pratt & Whitney said Tuesday.

ATEC will perform a demonstrator engine test to showcase variable speed turbine functions and technologies under the contract.

Craig Madden, ATEC president, said the company seeks to update the Army’s future vertical lift platforms in an effort to aid warfighting missions.

He added that the program provides ATEC the opportunity to add new variable speed turbine and other vertical lift features to the helicopter engines.

The company will also conduct a preliminary design review of the Improved Turbine Engine for the Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters under a separate contract.