RTX receives $870 Mn sustainment contract for Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines powering B-52s and E-3s.

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.

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Since its first flight in 1952, the TF33 engine has accumulated more than 72 million flight hours, most while powering the B-52 Stratofortress bomber (Picture source: Pratt & Whitney)

Representatives from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the U.S. Air Force and Pratt & Whitney attended a signing ceremony where Tracy Ruland, contracting officer for DLA Aviation, and Chris Johnson, vice president of Fighter & Mobility Programs for Pratt & Whitney, signed a long-term holistic sustainment solution for TF33 engines powering B-52 and E-3 aircraft.

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.

"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, advanced sustainment process that will maximize the TF33's support to many missions across the globe through 2050."

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.

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. The use of aerial refueling gives the B-52 a range limited only by crew endurance. It has an unrefueled combat range in excess of 8,800 miles.

Pratt & Whitney has exclusively powered the B-52 bomber since its first flight in 1952 – more than 65 years ago – and we are committed to providing propulsion solutions that keep the B-52 mission capable in the decades to come.