RTX subsidiary secures $1.5B Air Force contract

Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Arlington County Fortune 500 aerospace and defense contractor RTX, secured a three-year award valued at up to $1.5 billion to sustain F119 engines powering the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 fighter jets.

RTX announced the contract award to its aerospace manufacturing subsidiary, headquartered in Connecticut, Thursday. The maintenance and support services provided will “improve readiness and reduce costs” for the F119 fleet, which contains more than 400 engines that have flown over 900,000 engine flight hours, according to a news release.

“The F119’s readiness and reliability rates have never been more important, and we are improving both while lowering lifecycle costs,” Jill Albertelli, president of military engines at Pratt & Whitney, said in a statement. “We are committed to helping our U.S. Air Force customer maintain the F-22’s combat edge.”

The F119 is a turbofan engine that powers the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The F-22 Raptor’s two F119 engines generate over 35,000 pounds of thrust, enabling altitudes above 65,000 feet, according to a news release. A feature known as supercruise allows the F-22 to achieve supersonic speeds without afterburning and gives the aircraft an extended operational range.

Pratt & Whitney says it has lowered costs on the F119 engines through a “Usage Based Lifing program” that uses real-time data to enhance maintenance efficiency and extend engine life while also improving the engine’s kinematic performance with an engine control schedule update.

RTX has more than 185,000 employees and reported sales of more than $80 billion in 2024.