First Pratt & Whitney PurePower® Engine Completes Initial Ground Tests, Exceeds Expectations

News provided by

Feb 16, 2011, 11:02 ET

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney successfully completed initial ground testing on its first PurePower® PW1000G series engine, the PW1524G engine for the Bombardier* CSeries* aircraft. The engine completed nearly 200 hours of ground tests at the company's West Palm Beach, Fla. facility. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

"The engine continues to exceed our expectations," said Bob Saia, vice president, Next Generation Product Family. "We have already completed an unprecedented amount of testing on this first engine, including a full structural evaluation, performance, noise and emissions testing. Testing has validated overall engine operational characteristics including component design, rotor dynamics and engine fuel and lubrication systems. This testing confirmed the benefits and robustness of the Geared Turbofan™ engine that Pratt & Whitney initially established during the 2008 Demonstration Engine Program."

The first engine ran nearly three times longer than Pratt & Whitney's legacy experience for a first engine test program. Pratt & Whitney began ground testing of the PW1524G engine on schedule in September. Assemblies of the second and third PW1524G development engines are nearing completion. The second engine will also be tested at the West Palm Beach, Fla. test facility before being shipped to the company's Mirabel Aerospace Centre facility in Quebec, Canada. The engine will be mounted to the Pratt & Whitney 747 flying test bed for first test flights scheduled to begin in mid-year. Engine certification and aircraft first flight are scheduled for 2012.

The PurePower engine uses an advanced gear system allowing the engine's fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and an all-new advanced core delivers double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency and environmental emissions as well as a 50 percent reduction in noise.

The PurePower engine has been selected as exclusive power for the Bombardier CSeries scheduled to enter service in 2013 and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet scheduled to enter service in 2014. The engine has also been selected to power the new Airbus A320neo aircraft scheduled to enter service in Spring 2016 and the Irkut MC-21 narrow-body jet scheduled to enter service in 2016.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

This release includes "forward looking statements" concerning future business opportunities and other matters involving this engine that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in forward looking statements include changes in the health of the global economy and the strength of end market demand in the aerospace industry; as well as company specific items including the ability to achieve cost reductions at planned levels; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies including this engine, and new products including the engine discussed in this press release; and delays and disruption in delivery of materials and services from suppliers. For information identifying other important economic, political, regulatory, legal, technological, competitive and other uncertainties, see UTC's SEC filings as submitted from time to time, including but not limited to, the information included in UTC's 10-K and 10-Q Reports under the headings "Business," "Risk Factors," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Cautionary Note Concerning Factors that May Affect Future Results," as well as the information included in UTC's Current Reports on Form 8-K.

* Bombardier and CSeries are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

For more information on the Pratt & Whitney PurePower engine, visit: www.purepowerengines.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/purepowerengine

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/purepowerengine

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/purepowerengine