Pratt & Whitney said it has awarded 10-year contracts valued at $17 million to four Italian aerospace suppliers to manufacture engine components for the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft.
The contracts are a part of the East Hartford-based manufacturer’s plans to double the size of its commercial and military engine production by 2020. Pratt said it has now signed long-term agreements valued at more than $22 billion with nearly 800 product suppliers worldwide.
A total of 3,170 F-35s are currently planned for production. To date, Pratt & Whitney has delivered 266 F135 engines for the advanced, single-engine F-35 aircraft.
F135 production requirements have resulted in more than $25 million in contracts to Italian companies, and additional F135 engine work may increase for Italian industry as the production ramp grows in the coming years, Pratt said. The four aerospace suppliers are Aerea S.p.A., APR S.r.l., Mepit S.r.l. and NCM S.p.A.
As one of the original nine partner nations for the F-35, Italy is a key contributor to the development and production of the F-35 Lightning II. The F-35 Lightning II program includes partners from Australia, Italy, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States—as well as three foreign military sales customers—Israel, Japan and South Korea.
