Advanced digital models improve data sharing internally and with suppliers
EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Pratt & Whitney, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, is accelerating the development of its XA103 engine for the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program with the use of digital data packages.
By setting stringent digital requirements for their supply base and internal teams and distributing advanced digital design models, Pratt & Whitney is shortening development times, reducing costs and increasing design efficiency. These comprehensive packages enable rapid design iteration, easier integration with supplier systems, improved resource forecasting for manufacturing, and accelerated digital model testing and validation.
“We are paving the way with digital on NGAP, so much so that the rate at which we are delivering XA103 technical data packages has doubled,” said Jill Albertelli, president of Pratt & Whitney’s Military Engines business. “Model-based design ties all the puzzle pieces together, fostering constant collaboration, and we are applying these learnings across our engine portfolio.”
In addition to RTX investment and work completed under government contracts, Pratt & Whitney has self-invested more than $30 million this year to further develop its model-based environment, which significantly improves the accuracy of propulsion design, including XA103. Driving quality work faster across the value stream – including more than 1,000 engineers and support staff, the customer, and over 100 domestic suppliers – will deliver XA103’s adaptive technology at the speed of relevance.
Pratt & Whitney’s NGAP team is working toward the next major milestone for the program, the Assembly Readiness Review, which will validate the timeline for the prototype’s build and test. The XA103 engine is expected to test in the late 2020s.
About Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units for military, commercial and civil aviation customers. Since 1925, our engineers have pioneered the development of revolutionary aircraft propulsion technologies, and today we support more than 90,000 in-service engines through our global network of maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities.
About RTX
RTX is the world’s largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 185,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for operational success, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2024 sales of more than $80 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
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