President and Country Head, Pratt & Whitney, Ashmita Sethi
Could you tell us about the military platforms Pratt & Whitney powers globally, and in India?
Pratt & Whitney’s 7000+ military engines, in service with 34 armed forces around the world, power a wide range of tactical, strategic and mobility aircraft. These include the F135 for the F-35 Lightning II, the F119 for the F-22 Raptor, the F100 family for the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, F117 for the C-17 Globemaster III, PW4062/F139 for the KC-46 Pegasus and the V2500-E5 for the Embraer C-390 Millennium.
In India, we power nearly 90 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF), from the PT6A-powered Pilatus PC-7s to the F117-powered Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs. This engine fleet will continue to grow as the IAF inducts 56 twin-PW127G-powered Airbus C295 aircraft over the next few years.
The first C295 just arrived in India, which PW engine powers that platform?
Twin PW127G engines power the IAF’s Airbus C295, and the PW127G is part of the PW100/PW150 family of engines. These engines have a long legacy of excellence both in India and the world over. In India, the PW100/150 family powers nearly 90 ATR 42/72 and Q400 aircraft for airlines like IndiGo, SpiceJet and Alliance Air. It is the backbone for Indian government’s UDAN vision in regional aviation segment.
The PW127G itself is highly versatile, dependable and efficient. It delivers lower fuel-burn during cruise that enables exceptional range and endurance. Its high dispatch reliability enables the C295 to fly on command—enabling increased response times for the IAF.
Are PW’s powerplants also on the Embraer C-390 Millennium, which is being pitched for IAF’s Medium Transport Requirement?
The V2500-E5 delivers 31,000 pounds of reliable, efficient, and clean thrust for the C-390 Millennium, enabling it to conduct cargo and troop transport, aerial refueling, and disaster relief missions. A sturdy and robust engine, the V2500 also enables the C-390 to take-off and land from unpaved runways. The V2500-E5 is based on the engine and nacelle of the V2500-A5.
The V2500 has also been a long serving commercial engine in India.
Yes, the V2500 has a strong existing legacy in-country—it helped revolutionise private aviation when IndiGo ordered more than 100 V2500-powered A320neos in the mid-2000s. The engine has delivered on efficiency, world-class durability, extended time on wing for commercial air travel in India.
With a growing thrust on indigenization in aerospace and defense by India, is Pratt & Whitney also looking to invest and partner in the sector?
Pratt & Whitney is a RTX business, and with an Indian workforce of more than 5,000 people—RTX is one of the country’s largest exporters in aerospace and defense from India. We have been deeply invested in the country—and given the country’s growing aerospace and defense talent and capabilities, we expect our commitment to continually grow. Our key investments in-country include a state-of-the-art India Customer Training Center (ICTC) in Hyderabad, that provides specialized trainings on our engines to customers from over 20 nations; a world-class India Capability Center (ICC) that powers Pratt & Whitney Canada’s global supply chain operations; our India Engineering Center (IEC) with over 500+ projected employees working on aero & mechanical, and control systems for our commercial engines portfolio including development, field support & sustainment; and a Research & Development Center at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
We have sourced nearly USD55 million in machining and assembly from leading aerospace suppliers in the past decade, and over USD0.5 billion in Engineering Services in the past two decades. We expect to expand our sourcing in India to nearly USD150M annually by 2030. To drive aerospace innovation from India; in 2023 we launched Percept—an advanced AI-based Aircraft Engine Analysis Tool—in collaboration with Indian start-up Awiros. Percept enables 90 per cent faster and cost-efficient turnaround of leased engine assets.
Pratt & Whitney’s over 300 direct employees across the country are committed to building capabilities and delivering high value services to our customers. We intend to harness more of the talent inherent to India, growing our business while investing in local industry—as part of our broader RTX vision for India.