Will Be Installed On A C-17 Globemaster II Later This Month

Pratt & Whitney will deliver the final production F117 engine to the U.S. Air Force for its C-17 Globemaster III fleet later this month. A ceremony commemorating delivery of 1,313 production engines will be held later today at Pratt & Whitney's engine center in Middletown, Connecticut , and will include representatives from the U.S. Air Force and Boeing.

"This is a bittersweet occasion for those of us who have played a part in developing and delivering the F117 engine to our customers over the years," said Bennett Croswell , president, P&W Military Engines. "The F117 production engine program might be ending, but we look forward to working with our customers around the world to sustain their engines and to keep the C-17 fleet flying for decades to come."

Pratt & Whitney's F117 engine is a member of the company's PW2000 family of commercial engines, known for powering the Boeing 757. Four F117 engines power the C-17, and each engine is rated at 40,440 pounds of thrust which enables the aircraft to carry a payload of 164,900 pounds and fly 2,400 nautical miles without refueling. The F117 engine first entered service in 1993. With more than 12 million hours of proven military service and 50 million hours in commercial use,  F117/PW2040 engines have consistently proven to be world-class dependable engines. Through Pratt & Whitney's ongoing investment in product improvements, the engine continuously surpasses established goals of time on-wing and support turnaround time.

"The legacy of this production program is defined by world-class engine reliability and dependability, which would not have been possible without the talent and dedication of the present and past Pratt & Whitney employees," said Brig. Gen. Stacey T. Hawkins , director of Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection for the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command. "The U.S. Air Force relies on the C-17 to enable our global mobility mission. The fact is, the workhorse C-17 and its F117 powerplant ensure we are able to project power around the globe during times of conflict, or to deliver aid and comfort in times of crisis."  

F117 engines power nine C-17 fleets around the world, including the Royal Australian Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Qatar Emiri Air Force, the United Arab Emirates Air Force, the Indian Air Force, the NATO Airlift Management Programme, and the Kuwaiti Air Force in addition to the U.S. Air Force.

(Image provided with Pratt & Whitney news release)

FMI: www.pw.utc.com