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Pratt & Whitney PurePower(TM) PW1000G Engine Completes First Phase of Flight Testing, Prepares for Airbus Flight Test Program

Written by thomas · Filed Under Commercial 

August 21, 2008

thomas

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Pratt &
Whitney’s PurePower PW1000G demonstration engine has completed the first
phase of flight testing on a company-owned 747SP flying test bed. The
PW1000G engine completed 12 flights and ran approximately 43 hours with
tests focused on engine performance and operability. The demonstration
engine has been shipped to Toulouse, France, to be installed on an
Airbus-owned A340 flight test aircraft. A joint Airbus and Pratt & Whitney
flight test program will begin in the fourth quarter, as part of Airbus’
on-going, extensive research into new, greener engine architectures. Pratt
& Whitney is a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

“The PurePower PW1000G engine continues to perform flawlessly and has
accumulated a total of 306 hours of ground and flight testing to date,”
said Bob Saia, Pratt & Whitney vice president, Next Generation Product
Family. “The first phase of our flight test program included full power
takeoffs, in- flight performance up to 40,000 feet altitude, engine
operability including in-flight starting, and engine operation at extreme
aircraft maneuvers. The PW1000G engine’s performance has met all of our
pre-flight performance targets.”

The PurePower PW1000G demonstrator engine, with Pratt & Whitney’s
patented Geared Turbofan(TM) technology, completed a 250-hour ground test
program in May. The ground test program follows thousands of hours of
development testing accumulated on 16 technology rigs at Pratt & Whitney
and partner facilities around the world.

“We now look forward to testing the PW1000G engine on the Airbus A340
flight test aircraft,” Saia said. “This second phase of testing, which will
include approximately 75 flight hours, will focus on engine performance and
acoustic testing while providing valuable installation and operating data.”

Airbus will be the first aircraft manufacturer to fly the PurePower
PW1000G demonstrator engine on their own flight test aircraft. Test results
will contribute to the company’s long-term research and technology
assessment of new engine configuration developments.

In 2007, Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1000G engine was selected as the
exclusive power for the new Mitsubishi Regional Jet and the Bombardier
CSeries. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet program announced its first customer
in March 2008, with an order from All Nippon Airways. The CSeries was
launched in July 2008 with a letter of interest for up to 60 aircraft from
Lufthansa. Both aircraft are scheduled to enter service in 2013.

The PW1000G engine targets double-digit reductions in fuel burn,
environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs for the next
generation of commercial aircraft. The PW1000G engine uses a
state-of-the-art gear system allows the engine’s fan to operate at a
different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The result is
a step-change improvement in fuel efficiency and a slower fan speed for
much lower noise. The PurePower PW1000G engine is an all new centerline
engine that includes next generation technology in every major module.

Pratt & Whitney has over 16,000 aircraft engines installed with
hundreds of airlines around the world. Additionally, Pratt & Whitney is a
leading participant in two joint venture companies that manufacture
commercial aircraft engines: International Aero Engines, which makes the
V2500 for the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, and the Engine Alliance,
whose GP7200 engine is FAR 33 certified for the new Airbus A380.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and
service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas
turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified
company providing high technology products and services to the global
aerospace and building industries.

This release includes “forward looking statements” concerning future
business opportunities and other matters involving this engine that are
subject to risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in
forward looking statements include changes in the health of the global
economy and the strength of end market demand in the aerospace industry; as
well as company specific items including the ability to achieve cost
reductions at planned levels; challenges in the design, development,
production and support of advanced technologies including this engine, and
new products including the engine discussed in this press release; and
delays and disruption in delivery of materials and services from suppliers.
For information identifying other important economic, political,
regulatory, legal, technological, competitive and other uncertainties, see
UTC’s SEC filings as submitted from time to time, including but not limited
to, the information included in UTC’s 10-K and 10-Q Reports under the
headings “Business,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Cautionary Note
Concerning Factors that May Affect Future Results,” as well as the
information included in UTC’s Current Reports on Form 8-K.

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