Rhode Island

Connecticut’s Pratt & Whitney gets $1.3B contract for F135 engine upgrades • Rhode Island Current

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2024

Connecticut’s Pratt & Whitney gets .3B contract for F135 engine upgrades • Rhode Island Current

This story was originally published in Connecticut Mirror, a content partner with Rhode Island Current. Read the original version here.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded a $1.3 billion contract to Pratt & Whitney late Monday, giving a major boost to a program that will modernize the engines used in military fighter jets and help protect jobs in Connecticut as well as around the country.

The contract for the F135 Engine Core Upgrade Propulsion System comes months after the East Hartford-based company was named the sole provider of the engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program for at least another seven years.

It will provide support to the RTX-owned company related to design, analysis, testing and product support planning surrounding the upgrades to the fighter jet program for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and “non-Department of Defense cooperative program partners.”

Pratt & Whitney noted the F135 program has supported tens of thousands of jobs across 43 states, which includes Connecticut as well as others in the region like Maine. More than 700 engineers and program managers work full-time on the program, according to the company.

A little more than half of the work will happen in East Hartford, with much smaller percentages in Middletown and Windsor Locks, according to the Pentagon. The department estimated work on the upgrades to wrap up around March 2028. The remainder of the work will be performed in Maine, Indiana, Florida, Illinois and Puerto Rico.

“This contract is critical to continuing our positive forward momentum on this program,” Jill Albertelli, president of Pratt & Whitney’s Military Engines business, said in a statement. “It allows us to continue work in the risk reduction phase with a fully staffed team focused on design maturation, aircraft integration, and mobilizing the supply base to prepare for production.”

As one of Connecticut’s biggest manufacturers, Pratt & Whitney has been producing the engine used by Lockheed Martin’s F-35 aircraft since it was awarded the Pentagon contract more than two decades ago. The company has its headquarters in East Hartford with a facility in Middletown as well as a supply chain that consists of about 100 suppliers. About 11,000 people are employed between the East Hartford and Middletown facilities.

U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, said 38 of those suppliers are in his Hartford-based district. Larson and others in Connecticut’s congressional delegation have worked on the issue for years, which he said in a past interview spanned multiple presidents and four U.S. senators from Connecticut.

Last year, the Air Force decided against continuing the competition to find an alternative to the fighter jet engine. President Joe Biden had also signaled his support for the modernization of the F135 engines in his 2024 budget proposal.

Competitors like General Electric had wanted to open up competition for a replacement engine for the F-35. Both GE and Pratt & Whitney received contracts in 2016 as part of the Advanced Engine Technology Program to develop prototypes. But the expected costs associated with a new program complicated the Air Force’s plans.

That enabled Pratt & Whitney to be the sole provider of the F135 engines. At the end of 2023, the Defense Department announced it would give the Connecticut-based company multiple follow-on contracts to extend the company’s work on the program.

“We know that usually investments in industry — and they are our largest manufacturer — have a 4-1 payback in terms of what it does for the economy,” Larson, who is the co-chair of the bipartisan Joint Strike Fighter Caucus, said in an interview last year following news of the Air Force ending the search for an F135 replacement. He said at the time it could “mean additional employment opportunities” to meet the new demand.

Following the announcement of the billion-dollar contract this week, Jeff Shockey, senior vice president of RTX Global Government Relations, cited the work of key federal appropriators in both chambers of Congress on the issue: U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Last year, DeLauro touted her work as the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee in securing funding for the F135 engine. She also noted that Pratt & Whitney “reduced the cost of the F135 engine by 50% since production began while improving performance to twice its original specifications for years.”

“We are fortunate to have bipartisan and bicameral support from our congressional advocates, especially the Connecticut and Maine delegations led by senior appropriators Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Rosa DeLauro,” Jeff Shockey, senior vice president of RTX Global Government Relations, said in a statement. “Their steadfast commitment to the F135 ensures it will deliver critical capabilities for decades to come.”

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

Source link

Related Topics:air force Department of Defense EAST HARTFORD F-35 F135 Featured John Larson pentagon Pratt & Whitney Rosa DeLauro Susan Collins windsor locks

Click to comment

Rhode Island

Musician duo performs free concert for veterans in Rhode Island

Published

6 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Musician duo performs free concert for veterans in Rhode Island

BRISTOL, R.I. (WJAR) — It was music to the ears this week at the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol.

“I love music,” said Robert Nordstrom.

The U.S. Navy veteran sat and listened as songs written by Mozart played by two visiting musicians.

“I’ve heard a lot of classical music,” said Nordstrom.

Robert Nordstro, a U.S. Navy veteran, sat and listened as songs written by Mozart played by two visiting musicians. (WJAR)

For Nordstrom, it was a familiar sound.

“My wife taught violin and piano at home. I had four kids that play the violin,” said Nordstrom.

He himself played the harmonica for seven decades, he said, but now he listens to the sounds of a violin and a viola among his fellow residents and service members like 94-year-old George Cottrell Junior.

“I love comforting music. Peace,” said Cottrell.

Cottrell said he had seen a lot of conflict, serving in combat for both the Korean and Vietnam wars.

“Life is short,” said Cottrell.

It was music to the ears this week at the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol. (WJAR)

“For us, it’s very special to be here,” said violinist Alexey Shabalin.

The talented duo works with the Aurea Ensemble: a local group using music and the spoken word to bring people together.

They hope to expand community arts programming in Rhode Island to support the social and emotional health of our aging veterans.

“The point is to uplift them. To give them joy!” said violist and artistic director for Aurea Consuelo Sherba.

Navy Veteran Francis Jalette said his favorite music genre had more twang.

“I like country music,” said Jalette.

It was music to the ears this week at the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol. (WJAR)

No matter what music it is, everyone agreed. The songs were as sweet as the comradery in the room.

“We have so much in common, so we enjoy it very much!” said Jalette.

Nordstrom had a front row seat to history, and now to the string performance at the veterans home.

The 87-year-old said he will continue to listen to music as long as he can.

“I’ve been through a lot myself, but I hope I can stay around a little while and listen to music,” said Nordstrom.

This concert was one in a series of four free concerts for veterans at the home.

Source link

Rhode Island

Should public board members be allowed to Zoom in to vote? East Providence lawmaker says yes.

Published

18 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Should public board members be allowed to Zoom in to vote? East Providence lawmaker says yes.

Legislation introduced by House Majority Whip Katherine Kazarian would let members of public boards and commissions participate and vote remotely, bringing back and making permanent pandemic-era meeting rules. But public access advocates say the bill goes too far in expanding access at the expense of government accountability.

Source link

Rhode Island

Visa change complicates adoption for Rhode Island family

Published

1 day ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

Visa change complicates adoption for Rhode Island family

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — With international visa processing paused, a local family is fighting to get their adopted daughter home.

Dave and Grace Macchione thought they were finally at the finish line.

After first meeting their daughter, Zuli, the Rhode Island couple spent the past year following the required steps to adopt her.

Working through the legal process with adoption agencies, the State Department, and immigration services to bring her to the United States and finalize her citizenship.

Martha Konstandinidis spoke with the family about their efforts to reunite with their daughter after federal visa complications. (WJAR)

They first connected with Zuli in December 2024 through an exchange program, hosting her in their home for about a month.

The family says that time together only strengthened their bond.

With plane tickets booked and their trip to Colombia set to leave Jan. 24 to complete the adoption, the family says everything suddenly changed.

They learned the adoption process had been paused as the U.S. government moved to revoke more than 100,000 international visas spanning more than 75 countries, citing security concerns.

The Macchiones say they’ve reached out to local and federal officials for help, but they’re still left with little concrete guidance as they try to figure out what happens next and how long the delay could last.

Now, they’re pushing for the process to continue, not only for Zuli, but for other children and families caught in the same uncertainty.

In the meantime, they say they stay connected with Zuli through video calls, reassuring her they’re still coming, even if the timeline is no longer clear.

Back in Rhode Island, they say her room is ready. The only thing missing is her.

The couple is urging decision-makers behind the pause to consider the families who have already followed every step required to adopt legally and are now stuck waiting with no clear end in sight.

Source link