East Hartford-based jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney has been awarded an $11 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to build F100 engines for military aircraft, a member of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation said Wednesday.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate’s Committee on Armed Services, said the engines will power F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.
“This $11 million contract is fantastic news for the unrivaled Pratt & Whitney workers in East Hartford and Middletown,” Blumenthal said, in a statement.
“Pratt’s jet engines are world class and every contract from the Department of Defense is a vote of confidence for Connecticut made manufacturing.”
RTX, the Arlington, VA-based parent of Pratt, did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
Pratt & Whitney logo is seen here at an entry point to the East Hartford campus. (Jessica Hill/Special to the Courant)
Separately, RTX announced Wednesday, that it had received an $18 million contract from the NATO Support And Procurement Agency under which Pratt will provide engine sustainment services.
Pratt will provide a materials management program to include part forecasting, procurement and technical support for NATO’s fleet of airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, also known as the E-3 Sentry.
The contract duration is for three years, with an option to extend it for an additional two years.
Work on the contract will be performed at several locations, including Pratt’s East Hartford plant and the Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base, depots in Turkey and Greece.
“NATO’s TF33-powered E-3s have played a pivotal role supporting air, ground and maritime operations for over 40 years, providing its 32 member nations with air surveillance, real-time situational awareness and battle management,” said Jessica Villardi, vice president of fighter and mobility programs at Pratt. “Our integrated engine sustainment approach will help maximize fleet readiness for years to come.”
Pratt & Whitney workers with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union voted in May to approve a new agreement on a revised contract offer, ending the strike that has had workers out in sun and cold rain for three weeks outside the manufacturing giant.
The union representing about 3,000 workers at Pratt & Whitney plants in the Hartford and Middletown area went on strike in early May, a day after overwhelmingly rejecting Pratt’s final contract offer and setting up the historic bargaining showdown not seen at the company in decades.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
