Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) continues to ramp up engine production to meet booming demand, with supply chain improvements allowing the manufacturer to support double-digit production increases from airframe OEMs.
“The truth is, [the helicopter market] is booming in every mission [sector] at the same time,” Nico Chabee, vice president of sales and marketing, helicopter, P&WC, told Vertical. “It’s a combination of good demand. It’s a good problem to have.”
The current market situation is not a return to pre-pandemic “normal,” he said, due to the huge — and accelerating — demand.
“Whatever growth we can achieve in the supply chain, we give it all to OEMs for production,” said Chabee. “But I would say all the strategies we put in two years ago to come out of Covid are starting to pay off.”
Over the years, the company has delivered about 19,500 engines for use in helicopters, with 11,300 of those still active.
In terms of in-production helicopters, P&WC’s PT6B, PT6C and PT6T engine models power the Leonardo AW119 Koala and AW139, Airbus H175 and Bell 412, while the PW200-series and PW210A/A1 power the Airbus H135, Leonardo AW169 and Bell 429.
In May, P&WC celebrated the delivery of the 3,000th PT6C-67C to Leonardo for the AW139 — representing the largest production milestone of a single model in the company’s history.
On balancing the needs of supporting demand for engines for new aircraft versus the aftermarket, Chabee said the key is working “as a team” with the airframe OEMs. Still, most of the growth in P&WC’s output is allocated to production, with the engine manufacturer developing other solutions to help alleviate pressure in the aftermarket.
These include working to extend the time between overhaul (TBO) of its engines.
“The reliability of our turboshaft engines is second-to-none, honestly,” said Chabee. “The condition of the engines are so good when they come in the shop . . . we can look at the samples of engines that come in and eventually grant extensions to customers.”
A second thread is digital innovation, with P&WC using AI to help predict spare part needs.
“With the supply chain [issues], you have a given capacity,” said Chabee. “The last thing you want is to waste capacity for something you don’t need. So that accuracy of prediction [is something] we are working on a lot.”
He said a third area is data acquisition and “feedback loop” and analysis. This includes an advanced oil analysis capability that allows P&WC to detect microscopic traces of particles to determine exact engine condition.
“You can detect very early what may happen — six months or so many hours ahead,” said Chabee. “Let’s assume the supply chain is where it is — you need to work on predictability, so that customers can still plan their mission, [and] know when the aircraft or the helicopter eventually will get down for maintenance or repair.”
The growth in uptake of by-the-hour support programs is helping with advance planning. While Chabee noted the cost protection these programs provide operators, he said most tangible benefit is the ability they provide for the engine manufacturer and operator to work as a team.
“We have access to their data, and we can analyze it together and plan ahead,” he said.
Meanwhile, P&WC has also been working on the technology of tomorrow. In the realm of hybridization, it is currently involved several major projects.
The first is Airbus Helicopters’ PioneerLab demonstrator — a flying laboratory based on the H145 airframe. Among various “techno-bricks” the demonstrator is testing is a hybrid propulsion system that will replace two thermal Safran Arriel 2E engines with a single P&WC PW210 derivative linked with two Collins Aerospace 250 kW electric motors.
During a briefing in March, Airbus said it hoped to reach preliminary design review of the hybrid system this year with flight tests due to begin in 2027.
The electric motor will provide additional power during takeoff and landing, and Airbus will use the flight tests to understand where else it makes sense to use electrical power during various flight states.
“It’s more than studies, it’s in installation now,” said Chabee. “But the program is to fly, [and] go measure what is the true capability. Because I think the industry still needs to further understand the true value of this hybrid. Is it a safety? Is it added power? Do people like it? Do pilots like it? What are the new topics we need to work on next? The industry needs that.”
Another program — the Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator (HEFD) project – will see a P&WC thermal engine combine with a Collins Aerospace 1 MW electric motor to power a Dash 8-100 experimental aircraft, replacing one of two PW100 gas turbines.
“There is a lot of technology you can take from one segment to the next,” said Chabee, explaining the relevance of the project to the rotorcraft market. “Let’s see fuel burn, emissions, true performance, acceleration, whatever you need to measure. So there will be a lot of learning there.”
