RTX’s Pratt & Whitney Canada has unveiled its certified PT9 turboprop engine in Las Vegas, introducing a new platform designed for next-generation aircraft. Transport Canada recently approved the engine after more than 14,000 development hours. The company claims the PT9 provides 33% more power at altitude and reduces fuel consumption by 20% compared with previous-generation engines.
The PT9 uses a new centreline architecture intended to combine jet-like performance with turboprop efficiency and digital capabilities. Its modular design can be adapted to different airframe types and is structured to support future electric aircraft and hybrid thermal-electric propulsion systems.
Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam, president of Pratt & Whitney Canada, described the architecture as being developed around changing customer requirements, including digital functions and hybridisation. The company has not identified a launch customer or aircraft application for the engine.
Production is planned at Pratt & Whitney Canada’s facility in Lethbridge, Alberta. The site is also the company’s global centre of excellence for the PT6 turboprop family. No production start date, output rate or entry-into-service timetable has been disclosed.