Pratt & Whitney has delivered the first 10 F117 engines to Boeing to power a fleet of C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). India’s Ministry of Defence signed a letter of offer and acceptance with the US Government in 2011 to acquire 10 C-17s. The first of these C-17 aircraft is now going through a US Air Force flight test programme at Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, California. The IAF is scheduled to take delivery of its first five C-17s this year and five in 2014.

“Pratt & Whitney is delighted to be delivering the first batch of engines that will power the Indian Air Force’s C-17 fleet and we’re pleased to have them join the growing international fleet that flies this premium airlifter,” said Bev Deachin, Vice President, Military Programmes and Customer Support, Pratt & Whitney.

The C-17 Globemaster III – the world’s premier heavy airlifter – is powered by four F117 engines, each rated at 40,440 pounds of thrust. The C-17 transport, exclusively powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, is capable of taking off from a 7,600-foot airfield, carrying a payload of 1,60,600 pounds, and completing a flight of 2,400 nautical miles without refuelling. The F117-PW-100 first entered service in 1993 and is a derivative of Pratt & Whitney’s PW2040 commercial engine. With nearly 10 million hours of proven military service and 50 million hours in commercial use, the F117/PW2040 has consistently proven itself as a worldclass dependable engine. Through Pratt & Whitney’s ongoing investment in product improvements, the engine continuously surpasses established goals of time on wing and support turnaround time.