Pratt Finishes First MRJ Engine

Pratt & Whitney completed assembly of the first PurePower PW1217G engine to test for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), the company announced in late March. The engine manufacturer planned to send the engine, rated at 17,000 pounds of thrust, to its West Palm Beach, Fla. facility to start testing last month. Pratt & Whitney held the so-called MRJ “last bolt ceremony” at its Middletown Engine Center in Connecticut on March 24. The company plans to run a total of eight test engines over the next 24 months. Developers expect it to enter service in 2014.