Pratt & Whitney has a long standing association with India’s civil aviation sector and its armed forces, which spans over seven decades – starting from the ‘Parshuram’ Douglas DC-3 aircraft that served the armed forces in 1947. Today, the company offers a diverse portfolio of advanced propulsion solutions to the Indian Air Force (IAF) which includes the F117 engines on the IAF’s 11 C-17 Globemasters, and the PT6A turboprop engine on its 75 PC-7 trainers.
How is Pratt & Whitney supporting the modernization of Indian Armed Forces?
We also look forward to powering the IAF’s C295 aircraft fleet with our versatile, dependable, and efficient PW127G family of engines – and our iconic PT6A turboprop engines have also been selected by CSIR-NAL to power the SARAS MKI aircraft.
Our APUs (Auxiliary Power Units) also power India’s Netra Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS) that has been indigenously modified from the Embraer E145J. The APS1000 APUs provides Netra’s ground power and bleeds air, and power its critical mission equipment.
As makers of the world’s first operational fifth-generation engine, the F119 for USAF’s F-22, the world’s most advanced fighter engine, the F135 for the F-35, and the revolutionary GTFTM (Geared Turbofan) engine, we have a history and expertise with advanced propulsion systems which is unmatched in the world.
Can you elaborate on the capabilities of PW127G engines which power the C295 – the military transport aircraft for IAF?
We are delighted that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has selected the C295 from Airbus Defence and Security (ADS). And are proud that our PW127G engines power the C295, which is globally recognized as the next generation of Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) and light and medium transport aircraft.
The C295’s twin PW127G engines feature low-fuel burn during cruise and enable exceptional range and endurance for time-critical missions. As it does in many jurisdictions around the world, the C295, when in service for IAF, will fly vital missions in the service of the country’s some 1.3 billion citizens.
How can Pratt & Whitney support the IAF capabilities through India’s MRFA programme?
Pratt & Whitney powers not only a wide range of aircraft, but also some of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world today. Therefore, as India selects its 114 fighters for the MRFA, we look forward to powering India’s F-15EX with our F100-PW-229 engines. The F100 engine has been entrusted by the US Air Force to power every F-15 in its operational fleet since the aircraft’s first flight in 1972. With more than 28 million hours flown, the F100 is an industry leader in fighter engine reliability; and its safety, and performance record with the F-15 is second-to-none. The F100-PW-229 is technologically fully capable of powering the most challenging missions against any adversary – now and in the future. The engine’s fully modular architecture ensures ease of maintenance and incorporates leading edge technologies in materials, cooling, and health management including some advanced 5th generation technology. The latest upgraded F100-PW-229 is also fully capable of integrating with the F-15EX’s fly-by-wire flight control system.
Such advanced and superior features, as well as its quality and value over the entire lifecycle, will provide the IAF a superior propulsion system for this critical aircraft and for their missions.
How is Pratt & Whitney helping in the maintenance of its engines? What are your views on MoCA’s new MRO policy?
Pratt & Whitney has a comprehensive global engine repair and overhaul services and support that is backed by a state-of-the-art service network of engine OEM-owned and designated facilities. When it comes to India’s military aviation, Pratt & Whitney’s sizable fleet and growing suite of engine sustainment solutions support the IAF’s mission readiness.
We welcome the Indian Government’s policies aimed at accelerating India’s growth as a global MRO hub and also believe that in the future, it will be important to focus on ‘commonality’ between civil and defence aviation to generate the scale that is needed to boost growth, and drive investment into the sector.
You spoke of commonality. Could you give a few examples of propulsion commonality between civil and defense platforms?
If you look at the Pratt & Whitney family of engines and APUs in India itself, the PT6A for the PC-7 and the NAL-SARAS are some great examples of this. Our APS1000 APU provides Netra, which has been indigenously modified from the Embraer E145J. The PW127G powers the incoming C295s and is a member of the versatile and dependable engine PW100 family that has served diverse missions and needs across the spectrum.
Another great example is the V2500, which is an incredibly versatile engine. It not only powered India’s private aviation renaissance in the mid-2000s with IndiGo’s 100 A320ceos, today it continues to power major commercial, cargo, and military platforms. The Embraer C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft for example is powered by the robust and reliable V2500 series engines and help advance the platform’s capabilities to operate in diverse terrains and altitudes, similar to the ones in India.
What is Pratt & Whitney’s investment in India’s Aerospace & Defense ecosystem and what are your future plans to contribute to India’s journey towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives?
Pratt & Whitney supports the government’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and is committed to continue supporting other key initiatives such as Make in India, Skill India and Start-up India. Working with India on indigenous platforms like the NAL-SARAS MKI or the Netra is just one aspect of that. We have also invested in strengthening the country’s aerospace ecosystem.
As part of these investments, we established our India Customer Training Center (CTC) in Hyderabad. Launched in 2015, the center in Hyderabad is one of three Pratt & Whitney training centers operating globally which offer specialized DGCA and EASA Part 147 approved training. The center provides advanced training for airline customers, MRO operators, as well as industry and university skill development programs, to spur the growth of the aviation sector in India. The India CTC has imparted 11,500 student days of training to over 39 operators representing over 27 nationalities since its launch.
Another example of our continued involvement in India’s aerospace growth story is our R&D presence through the Center of Excellence (COE) located at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The COE has been engaged in state-of-the-art research since 2012, in the areas of advanced materials, combustion, and mechanical design. The center also recently expanded its capabilities to include research in advanced gas turbine technologies.
On the innovation front, we also continue to work with start-ups in India and the world. Our Innovation Challenge conducted with T-Hub, Hyderabad saw over 60 Indian and global startups in the Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning (ML) space propose solutions to optimize aircraft engine inspections with reduced human interventions.
Our commitment to India is more than just the market it represents; and we see India as a mutual partner for success. We will continue to build our India presence through partnered investments in innovation, research, supply chain and sustainment – working with leading Indian aerospace suppliers. We look forward to sharing more on how we are accelerating our presence in India soon.
https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/pratt-whitney-supports-atmanirbhar-bharat-and-other-initiatives-ashmita-sethi-president-and-country-head/2467071/
