Pratt & Whitney launches GatorWorks

F135 engine on assembly line (Pratt & Whitney photo)

Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp., has established GatorWorks, a newly formed prototyping arm within Pratt & Whitney that will focus on the rapid and agile development of dependable, lower cost military engines. Pratt & Whitney GatorWorks' objective is to deliver state-of-the-art engines in half the lead time and for half the cost of traditional procurement cycles.

"The standard large engine development cycle is roughly 20 years. Our customers have asked for rapid innovation, technology development, and new product introduction. GatorWorks is the answer," said Matthew Bromberg, president of Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. "Pratt & Whitney GatorWorks will seek to leverage commercial enterprise capabilities in rapid prototyping, iterative design, procurement, and testing of cutting-edge products for our customers. We've created an environment where our best engineers can reach their potential with all the tools they need, but without the unnecessary internal barriers that can sometimes slow them down."

GatorWorks will seek to combine the efficiency, agility, and unconstrained boundaries of a small start-up, with the discipline and engineering rigor of a world-leading propulsion company. The new unit incorporates a mix of cross-functional teams, vertical integration, and a short list of suppliers and partners. The GatorWorks team has been operational since early 2018, focused on a family of advanced products in development.