Jane Edwards
RTX’s Pratt & Whitney business has concluded a critical design assessment of its engine offering for the U.S. Air Force’s future next-generation air dominance aircraft.
The milestone marks a key step in bringing the company’s engine prototype, dubbed XA103, closer to completing a detailed design review as part of the service branch’s Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion program, RTX said Monday.
Ground testing of the engine prototype is expected to be performed by late the 2020s.
NGAP engine technologies are designed to enable the Air Force to deter challenges and achieve air superiority by providing thermal management capabilities, fuel efficiency and survivability while meeting operational requirements.
In August 2022, Pratt & Whitney and four other companies won a spot on an Air Force contract in support of a program that seeks to build adaptive engine prototypes for next-generation fighter aircraft.
“We are embracing digital transformation with NGAP and changing the customer experience through the entire development process in order to rapidly and efficiently deliver these advanced adaptive engines,” said Jill Albertelli, president of Pratt & Whitney’s military engines business.
“This technology is critical to maintaining air superiority, which is why Pratt & Whitney has made significant investments in research and development and advanced manufacturing. Continued government funding for sixth-generation propulsion development must remain a high priority to support critical platform milestones and warfighter readiness,” added Albertelli.
