Pratt & Whitney (an RTX business) is developing a new family of small turbofan engines scalable from about 500 to 1,800 pounds of thrust, intended to power munitions and cruise missiles, collaborative combat (uncrewed) aircraft and uncrewed tactical jets — with applicability to small business jets and eVTOL-type platforms.
Discovered |
Briefing
Pratt & Whitney’s 500–1,800 lbf family fills a gap for compact, mass-producible propulsion needed by collaborative combat aircraft and munitions, directly supporting demand signaled by the Navy’s concept-design contracts for carrier-based CCAs.
The program dovetails with demonstrated progress in loyal‑wingman/uncrewed jets — recent detect-and-track demonstrations of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat highlight the need for compact turbofans for operational teaming.
By targeting cruise missiles and low-cost munitions, the engine family aligns with ongoing flight tests of low-cost air‑launched cruise missile variants, creating a potential high‑volume defense market alongside civil small-jet and eVTOL opportunities.
Reported By
Hype groups these reports into one evolving story so you can compare coverage without losing the thread.
Pratt & Whitney Unveils Scalable 500–1,800 lbf Defense Engine Family • aero-defence.tech
RTX’s Pratt & Whitney Advances Scalable Defence Engines • aero-defence.tech
Pratt & Whitney unveils scalable 500–1,800 lbf engine family to power munitions and CCAs • airforce-technology.com
(ES) Pratt & Whitney develops a new family of engines for combat aircraft • actualidadaeroespacial.com
Aviation Week
• Brian Everstine