100
years of innovation
A century of innovation continues
For 100 years, the people of Pratt & Whitney have pushed the boundaries of aviation to shape human flight. Pratt & Whitney’s history is a story of relentless grit and unwavering dedication, from developing era-defining engines in the early 20th century to unleashing new technologies that power the skies today. With more than 90,000 engines in service around the globe, we remain committed to connecting people, growing economies and defending freedom.
For us, this centennial is more than a milestone – it’s a launchpad. Pratt & Whitney’s remarkable legacy is now part of something even bigger: the future of the RTX enterprise. Together as RTX, we are positioned to redefine what’s possible for the aerospace and defense industry.
By the numbers
Every second
a Pratt & Whitney-powered aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in the world
90,000+
engines in service
45,000+
employees in more than 40 countries
Passion fuels progress: Building on a legacy
These past 100 years belong to the people bold enough to build them – the people of Pratt & Whitney. A century of triumph, challenge and world-changing impact would not have been possible without the generations of innovators, visionaries and engineers turning ideas into realities.
Pratt & Whitney’s accomplishments are the cornerstones upon which RTX is engineering the future. Every technological advancement – from the game-changing GTF engine to breakthroughs in hybrid-electric flight and enhanced mission-critical capabilities for the service member – is an opportunity to harness our collective strength to propel this progress into the future.
Pratt & Whitney Step Changes
RADIAL AIR-COOLED
Making smaller, lighter, faster aircraft possible
The WASP’s radical design delivered performance unheard of in its day. Subsequent variations went on to power half of all the U.S. planes built during World War II.
AXIAL FLOW TURBOJET
Going supersonic
The first dual-spool, axial-flow turbojets produced more than twice the power of centrifugal designs, culminating in Mach 3 performance in the J58 for the SR-71 Blackbird.
TURBOFAN
Opening a new era of commercial transport
The addition of an up-front fan on the JT3D moved more air to increase thrust by 35%. Fuel burn dropped 15% to 22%. Noise declined by 10 decibels.
FREE-TURBINE TURBOPROP
The workhorse of general aviation
Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6 – with more than 90 models since 1960 – is the most widely used power plant for light to medium duty applications.
HIGH-BYPASS TURBOFAN
Meeting bigger demands
Moderately accelerating a large amount of bypass air provided more power with greater efficiency to meet the requirements of larger, heavier aircraft with greater payloads.
AUXILARY POWER UNIT
Quiet power, lasting dependability
The quietest APU in its class with the lowest emissions in the industry, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s APS5000 is the first all-electric APU for large commercial aircraft.
GEARED TURBOFAN
Powering the next generation of flight
With high-bypass turbofans reaching their limits of performance, Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan (GTF) represents a cleaner, quieter, more efficient path to the future of commercial aviation.
