Pratt & Whitney, GE to Study Propulsion System

Pratt & Whitney and GE Aircraft Engines, sometimes fierce competitors in the jet engine industry, will unite to study the possibility of developing a new propulsion system for supersonic commercial aircraft, the companies have announced.

Depending on the results of the initial study, the companies will then decide how to divide responsibilities in developing the system.

The companies said the uncommon alliance is a matter of necessity if either is to participate in developing a futuristic system capable of propelling a civilian aircraft at speeds up to 3 1/2 times the speed of sound.

“We recognize neither company could realistically embark on this project alone,” Arthur E. Wegner, president of Pratt & Whitney, said in a statement.

“By working together, we will greatly increase the prospects of resolving the enormous technical issues, while also evaluating methods to address the significant business issues associated with developing a supersonic transport engine,” Wegner said.

The companies plan to form a “joint strategy board,” with Pratt and GE assigning senior officers to serve as program managers leading each company’s activities, the statement said.

GE Aircraft, based in Evendale, Ohio, is a division of the General Electric Co. East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney is a unit of United Technologies Corp.

The announcement comes less than six months after GE sued Pratt & Whitney for $1.15 billion after a German aerospace company, Motoren und Turbinen Union, withdrew from participation in GE’s development of a new turbofan engine to compete with Pratt’s PW4000.