Pratt and Whitney Just Celebrated Its First Century in Business

by Ken Kula · Published January 24, 2026

Pratt & Whitney just celebrated 100 years in the aviation engine business – “Dependable Engines” are a big reason for its longevity

Story and photos by Ken Kula

Pratt & Whitney Aircraft was formed in April 1925 – just over 100 years ago. Here’s a small bit of its history, along with examples of Pratt & Whitney engine-powered aircraft throughout the years. Remember, this is just a small cross section of the company’s history and current operations… by the latest count, there are around 90,000 Pratt & Whitney engines in service around the world today, never mind what has been used in the past.

Frederick Rentschler, an aircraft designer who had worked for Wright Aeronautical, began an aero engine business which focused on a radial engine design which would be more powerful than the then-standard liquid-cooled engines (the so-called inline engines were common in both military and civilian aircraft at that time). He and his partners – including his brother, joined forces with the Pratt & Whitney machine tool company of Ohio. Soon, capital and space in one of the machine tool company’s Hartford, Connecticut plant was allocated to the new Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company, and work began on its first design, dubbed the Wasp engine.

This Ford AT-4-E Trimotor is re-equipped with R-985 engines

Boeing’s Model 40A utilized versions of both Wasp and Hornet engines from Pratt & Whitney

The first R-1340 Wasp was completed during the last week of 1925, and the design was approved for use by the U. S. Navy in early 1926. Capable of 425 horsepower, the air-cooled engine soon found use in many aircraft built during the 1920s such as the 4-AT and 5-AT series of Ford Trimotor airliners.

The designation “R-1340” refers to a radial engine with a 1,340 cubic inch displacement. Other series of Wasp engines added or subtracted displacement over the next few decades, with the associated change in horsepower, such as the R-985 Wasp Junior or the R-2800 Double Wasp. The largest version was the R-4360 Wasp Major.

The Lockheed 10A Electra used a pair of R-985 Wasp Junior engines

The next air-cooled version of a radial engine was called the Hornet. The R-1690 version powered the Lockheed Electra and Lodestar and several Gee Bee racers built by the Granville Brothers up through the early 1930s. Several versions of this radial engine were also built, but the Wasp series had wider use and was built in much larger numbers.

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), an important division of the main company, was originally spun up to meet the maintenance needs of Pratt & Whitney radial engines in 1928. During World War II, the company began assembling radials on its own production lines.

Four years after the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company was formed, Frederick Rentschler moved the company from under the machine tool company’s umbrella to a conglomerate which included Boeing and United Airlines. The new United Aircraft and Transport Corporation operated for five years, until in 1934 U. S. Government regulators forced its breakup. The new, smaller United Aircraft Corporation came into being with several manufacturing companies within it. Besides Pratt & Whitney; the Chance Vought and Sikorsky brands joined forces under the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation banner.

The Chance Vought F-4U-7 utilized a R-2800-18W engine

The Douglas A-26 B Invader utilized several versions of the R-2800 Double Wasp engine

The Consolidated PB4Y-2 utilized four R-1830-94 Twin Wasp engines

World War II brought huge orders for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft engines, which powered several important fighter, bomber and transport designs. The Vought F4U Corsair, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, Northrop P-61 Black Widow and Douglas A-26 Invader aircraft were all powered by R-2800 Double Wasp engines. Some C-47s and the new, four engine C-54 (military DC-4) utilized R-2000 Twin Wasp engines.

The turbine engine was the next technological step with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft designs, and the company developed and produced new engines for both military and civilian aircraft.

This North American QF-100F used a Pratt & Whitney J57-21A engine equipped with an afterburner

The Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker originally used J57-P-59W engines, equipped with water injection for more thrust for a short duration

SR71A

The SR-71A Blackbird used the J58 engine with special JP-7 fuel when available

Early military turbojet engines included the J-57, which powered KC-135A tankers and F-100 Super Sabre fighters. The mighty J-58 engine was designed and built for the Mach 3+ SR-71.

This USAir Boeing B-737-2B7 was powered by the JT8D

This Surinam Airways DC-8-63 was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3D-7 engines

Civilian JT3D and JT8D engines powered early jetliners such as the Boeing 737 and McDonnell Douglas DC-8 airliners.

Continental Airlines Boeing 747-100, formerly operated by PeopleExpress, was powered by the large JT9D-7A

Later, the JT9D engine was another revolutionary design, making “Jumbo Jets” a reality with its large high-bypass fan design.

This FAA Flight Check Beech 300 Super King Air is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A turboprop engines

The Beech Starship is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A engines

Pratt & Whitney Canada began to produce small turbine engines in the 1950s. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the PT-6 turbine engine was designed and produced; it is still the engine of choice for many turboprop powered aircraft flying today, more than 60 years later.

The General Dynamics FB-111A used a pair of TF30-P-7 engines with afterburner, and capable of Mach 2

The original Grumman Tomcat variant was the F-14A, which was fitted with TF30-P-412A turbofan engines with afterburner

Lockheed’s C-141A Starlifter utilized TF33 engines, the military version of the JT3D turbofan

With the advent of turbofan engines, higher thrust capabilities were achieved with the military’s TF30 engine used in the FB-111A Aardvarks and F-14A Tomcats. The TF33 powered the C-141 Starlifter.

In 1975, United Aircraft Corporation became United Technologies. Chance Vought had left the fold in a few years after the end of World War II, and Sikorsky would leave in 2015. In 2020 United Technologies merged with the Raytheon Company to form their current corporate structure, called Raytheon Technologies… or RTX. The company is involved in avionics (Collins Aerospace) and rocketry, satellites, missiles and radar (Raytheon Corporations) as well as home to Pratt and Whitney’s engine branch.

The McDonnell Douglas F-15D Eagle uses the afterburning F100-PW-220 engine

The USAF’s Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptors use the F119-PW-100 turbofan engine with afterburner

The Lockheed Martin F-35A uses the F135-PW-100 engine, developed from the F-22A’s F119 turbofan

Current Pratt & Whitney military engines in use include the F100, used in the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the F119, powering the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The company’s F135 powers the F-35 Lightning II jet too.

Boeing’s Dreamlifter is a converted B-747-400 powered by four PW4056 engines (of the PW4000 family)

This Airbus A-220-300 jet is powered by a pair of PW1524G (GTF) engines

Civilian jet engines of today include PW4000 series of turbofans which power airliners such as the Boeing 747-400. The PW1000G Geared Turbofan engine (GTF) brings greater fuel efficiency and a quieter operation when compared to earlier turbofan powerplants.

Today, opportunities in next-generation electric and hydrogen powered engines have been pursued and design and testing is underway. Sustainable aviation fuels are already compatible in many Pratt & Whitney engines; the successful use of the PW1000G GTF engines with SAF fuels on a new Embraer E-195-E2 jet was proven back in 2022.

From Pratt & Whitney Aircraft to RTX’s Pratt & Whitney, the 101 years in between have been filled with innovations and important contributions to the operation of military and civilian aircraft. The company’s vision of where it has been and where it is going next is summed up with their identity of “100 Years of Powering the Future”. The company is working to develop more innovative technology and supply the world with many more groundbreaking opportunities for the world of aviation during its next century of business.

More examples of Pratt & Whitney engines and their airframes: