Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), has awarded long-term agreement contracts valued at USD17 million over 10 years to four key Italian aerospace suppliers — Aerea S.p.A., APR S.r.l., Mepit S.r.l. and NCM S.p.A. — to manufacture F135 engine components for the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney has invested in a global manufacturing network and supply chain to ensure the success of the F135 engine program. In order to double the size of both commercial and military engine production by 2020, the company has signed long-term agreements valued at more than USD22 billion dollars with nearly 800 key product suppliers worldwide.
To date, F135 production requirements have resulted in more than USD25 million dollars in contracts to Italian companies, and additional F135 engine work may increase for Italian industry as the production ramp grows in the coming years.
Aerea S.p.A, APR S.r.l., Mepit S.r.l. and NCM S.p.A. were selected on a best value basis to support the F135 engine program as a result of their readiness to deliver high-quality parts, on-cost and on-time, according to Cliff Stone, vice president business development, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines.
As one of the original nine partner nations for the F-35, Italy is a key contributor to the development and production of the F-35 Lightning II. The current program of record for Italy is for the procurement of 60 F-35A and 30 F-35B aircraft, confirming the aircraft as the official replacement for the legacy Panavia Tornado, AMX and AV-8B aircraft currently in use by the Italian Ministry of Defence.
The F-35 Lightning II program includes partners from Australia, Italy, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States–as well as three foreign military sales customers–Israel, Japan and South Korea. A total of 3,170 F-35s are currently planned for production. To date, Pratt & Whitney has delivered 266 F135 engines for the advanced, single-engine F-35 aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney provides design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries.
