WINDSOR LOCKS -- On Monday, Pratt & Whitney unveiled its newest engine, which the company hopes will revolutionize green travel.
The Airbus A320neo, powered by Pratt & Whitney's PurePower Geared Turbofan engines, will make air travel cleaner, quieter and greener, the company says. The engine offers a 75 percent reduction in noise, 50 percent reduction in regulated emissions and 16 percent reduction in fuel consumption. The fuel savings are equivalent to cutting the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that would take 900,000 trees to eliminate each year.
The PurePower Geared Turbofan engines are assembled both at the Middletown location and at an engine center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
UTC Aerospace Systems helps supply engine controls and accessories, including wheels, brakes, flight controls, cabin pressure controls, electric power generation and ventilation systems.
Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems, which helped make engine controls and accessories, are both owned by Untied Technologies Corp. UTC Aerospace Systems, the largest supplier of aircraft systems in the world, has a flagship location in Windsor Locks, while Pratt & Whitney has locations in East Hartford and Middletown. In all, Pratt & Whitney employs 9,000 in Connecticut, including 3,500 and the Windsor Locks UTC Aerospace Systems location.
UTC spends about $720 million in the state each year, and is investing in future engineers through partnerships with Goodwin College, Asnuntuck Community College and UConn.
