Pratt & Whitney announced its plans to invest US$255 million through 2028 in a sustainment facility in Oklahoma City. The new 845,000-square-foot facility will act as a hub for depot operations for all Pratt & Whitney military engines, including those for the F-35, C-17, F-22, F-15, F-16, B-52, and E-3 AWACS.
“Pratt & Whitney’s Oklahoma City site plays a critical role in our global sustainment network,” said Jill Albertelli, president, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. “Last year, the team achieved record output for the F117, F119, and F135 Heavy Maintenance Centers—this investment in a new facility will further expand our capabilities and reaffirm our commitment to our customer for years to come. We are grateful for the support provided by our partner, the United States Air Force, and by the state of Oklahoma and the local community.”
Pratt & Whitney’s Oklahoma City site is part of a global sustainment network, complementing activations in Australia, Japan, Netherlands and Norway and U.S. locations in Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida, and West Palm Beach. As the only site capable of performing all F135 power module scope levels, the new Oklahoma City Sustainment Center facility will increase the site’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities as the F135 program continues to expand.
Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) is a block upgrade for the F135, with the objective of providing an affordable, low risk, and agile pathway to fielding meaningful propulsion capability for all F-35 customers. ECU leverages Department of Defense investments in adaptive technology to deliver the advanced capability needed for Block 4 and beyond, while maintaining the variant-commonality and international partnership approach that the joint program was built upon.
Activated in 2014, Pratt & Whitney’s Oklahoma City F135 Heavy Maintenance Center is responsible for the majority of the F135’s maintenance work. Last year, the site produced 73 power modules on a requirement of 60 modules—a 43 percent increase from 2021, or 61 percent of the total power module output for the sustainment network. This year, site will be responsible for a requirement of 78 production power modules.
Pratt & Whitney has an extensive history in Oklahoma, dating back to the establishment of an Army depot for the C-47 Skytrain Assembly in the 1940s. Today, the Oklahoma City site employs more than 450 full-time employees and an additional 450 partner contractors across a number of disciplines including engineering, data analytics, materials and logistics, quality, and procurement. This new facility, comprised of offices, meeting and collaboration spaces, sustainment center, and onsite exercise facility, will consolidate six existing sites, bringing all disciplines into two locations: Pratt & Whitney’s Oklahoma City Sustainment Center and Tinker Air Force Base’s Air Logistics Complex.
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