Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, was awarded a long-term TF33 engine sustainment contract valued up to $870 million by the Defense Logistics Agency. The TF33 engine powers a range of aircraft, including Boeing’s B-52 Stratofortress and E-3 Sentry. This agreement is a culmination of the Defense Logistics Agency’s decades-long partnership with the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., and Pratt & Whitney to establish a holistic sustainment solution. This first-of-its-kind approach will reduce obsolescence, supporting the U.S. Air Force’s wartime readiness today and into the foreseeable future. Under this contract, Pratt & Whitney will provide comprehensive engine sustainment services for a global fleet of nearly 1,000 engines over a six-year period, with an option of extending for another four years. Services under this contract include maintenance, spare parts, program management, field service, repairs and engineering support. Sustainment work will run through April 2034 at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., additional U.S. Air Force locations, and Pratt & Whitney’s Southern Logistics Center located in Atlanta, Ga.
An engine’s sustainment phase is a critical but often underappreciated portion of military readiness,” said Jill Albertelli, president of Military Engines at Pratt & Whitney. “The TF33 enterprise is maturing beyond the conventional approach to a more complete, advance sustainment process that will maximize the TF33’s support to many missions across the globe through 2050.”
The TF33 is the United States Air Force designation for the Pratt & Whitney JT3 commercial engine which boasts decades of proven performance in both military and civilian service. First flown 60 years ago, more than 1,000 engines are still in service today with the U.S. Air Force and other customers around the world. Since its first flight, the TF33 engine has accumulated more than 72 million flight hours, most while powering the B-52 bomber. Eight Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines power the U.S. Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress long-range, heavy bomber that is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes up to 50,000 feet. It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability. The B-52 can perform strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air and maritime operations. Production Boeing E-3 Sentry
airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the U.S. Air Force to E-3A standard with TF33 engines. ar, 24 built for U.S. Air Force (later converted to E-3B standard), total of 34 ordered but the last 9 completed as E-3C. One additional aircraft retained by Boeing for testing,[57] 18 built for NATO with TF33 engines and 5 for Saudi Arabia with CFM56 engines.
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney’s aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut.[2] As one of the “big three” aero-engine manufacturers, it competes with General Electric and Rolls-Royce, although it has also formed joint ventures with both of these companies. In addition to aircraft engines, Pratt & Whitney manufactures gas turbines for industrial and power generation, and marine turbines. In 2017, the company reported that in 2014 they had 38,737 employees[2] supporting more than 11,000 customers in 180 countries around the world.
