First PW4062 engines arrive for KC-46 tankers

Pratt & Whitney and Boeing officials celebrated the delivery of the first PW4062 engines for the first KC-46 test aircraft during a recent event at Boeing’s Everett, Wash., facility. Howie Chandler, vice president of business development, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, and Maureen Dougherty, Boeing vice president and program manager, KC-46 Tanker Program, addressed approximately 200 employees on the shop floor of Building 40-32, where the line of 767 commercial freighters and passenger aircraft are being converted into the first KC-46 flight test aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company.

 

"The PW4000 engine family that will power these aircraft has an exceptional track record of performance and dependability with numerous commercial customers operating the engine globally,” said Chandler. “We are confident in the PW4062 engines and know they will continue to perform exceptionally well in a military application for Boeing, and for our ultimate customer, the men and women in uniform."

 

Two Pratt & Whitney PW4062 engines, each with a 94" fan blade diameter, will power each U.S. Air Force KC-46A aircraft. The program’s scope, if fully exercised, calls for as many as 368 PW4062 engines to be delivered between 2013 and 2027. Actual production engine procurement quantities will be determined over the life of the program as established by future purchase orders.

 

"These engines bring tremendous capability to the KC-46A, which supports superior multi-role mission performance by delivering more fuel, transporting more passengers and cargo, and offering enhanced aeromedical capabilities to our United States Air Force customer," said Dougherty.

 

Pratt & Whitney has delivered more than 2,500 PW4000-94" engines that have collectively logged more than 120 million flight hours on commercial aircraft around the world. The PW4062 is the highest thrust model in Pratt & Whitney’s PW4000-94" commercial engine family and is offered for both commercial freighter and military applications. The two PW4062 engines that will power the KC-46A each deliver 62,000 lb of thrust.

 

The PW4000-94" family meets emissions and noise regulations, and offers fuel economy and maintainability. The PW4000-94" engine operates commercially on the Boeing 767, MD-11 and earlier Boeing 747 models.