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.

Two of the state’s college football teams found their names on FCS poll ballots this week. 

The University of Rhode Island continued to climb in the rankings despite a bye week. Brown used contributions by a pair of Ivy League award winners to take a place just outside the national elite. 

The Rams check in at No. 20 ahead of their weekend trip to Hampton. The Bears are among teams receiving votes after a Saturday thriller with Harvard. 

URI needed a late Malik Grant rushing touchdown — his third of the game — to outlast Long Island entering its time off. The Rams improved to 3-1 overall and 3-0 against FCS foes. They’ll be back in Coastal Athletic Association action against the Pirates before a Governor’s Cup meeting against Brown set for Oct. 12 at Meade Stadium. 

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The Bears rallied for a signature win against Harvard, their first against the Crimson since 2010. Brown pounced on an errant field-goal snap in the final minute and Jake Willcox threw a touchdown pass to Mark Mahoney with 21 seconds left to cap a 31-28 classic. Willcox fired all three of his scoring strikes in the second half, the last two to Mahoney deep in the fourth quarter. 

Elias Archie and Matt Childs were key for the Bears while erasing a 21-3 deficit, and they were honored Monday as a result. Archie picked up conference Defensive Player of the Week honors while Childs earned a Rookie of the Week selection. Both made critical plays on either side of halftime. 

Archie’s interception and return to the Harvard 1 set up Brown’s opening touchdown late in the second quarter, as Nate Lussier crashed in on a direct snap. Childs caught a 75-yard bomb from Willcox down the middle for a score in the third quarter, escaping out of the backfield and eluding downfield coverage. The Bears moved to 2-0 entering an in-state home matchup with Bryant on Saturday. 

URI is one of four CAA teams ranked this week, joining No. 6 Villanova, No. 12 William & Mary and No. 21 New Hampshire. Richmond, Stony Brook and Monmouth are all receiving votes outside the top 25. Brown and Dartmouth are the only two Ivy teams that appeared on ballots this week, with both the Bears and Big Green off to 2-0 starts.  

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25 

A bicyclist was struck by a car Sunday in Smithfield, Rhode Island, by a suspected drunk driver.

Smithfield police tell NBC10 Boston affiliate WJAR that they responded to a crash involving a bicycle and a car on 135 Pleasant View Ave. around 8:35 p.m.

The 65-year-old bicyclist sustained critical injuries and was taken to Rhode Island Hospital.

The driver, identified as 38-year-old Lance Nicoletti, smelled of alcohol and allegedly failed a field sobriety test at the scene, WJAR reports. He was later arrested and charged with driving under the influence of liquor or drugs resulting in serious bodily injury and driving to endanger resulting in personal injury.

Nicoletti was arraigned and given $15,000 surety bail on the charges in this cause, however he was held without bail as a violator in a separate case, according to WJAR. Attorney information wasn’t immediately available.