OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – A prominent aerospace and defense company opened its largest military engines facility in Oklahoma City, an investment of more than $250 million.
Pratt & Whitney started off October by celebrating the opening of the new 845,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, which company officials are touting as the company’s largest military engines field location, according to Oklahoma Department of Commerce officials.
The company, which was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in East Hartford, Conn., invested $255 million into the facility to manufacture F135, F117, TF33, F100 and F119 engines for F-35, F-22, C-17, B-52, E-3, F-15, F-16 aircraft and more.
“Oklahoma City is the heart of our global sustainment network for Pratt & Whitney’s military engines business and plays a critical role on every single one of our programs,” said Jill Albertelli, president of Military Engines at Pratt & Whitney. “This new facility will serve as a hub for all of our military engine programs and allow us to better support our customers and their missions.”
Ground was broken on the new facility, which is located alongside Tinker Air Force Base, in June 2023. The event was attended by state and federal leaders.
“Aerospace and defense play a major role in Oklahoma’s economy and growing workforce, and I’ve been glad to see Pratt & Whitney be a key asset to the industry over the past several decades,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said during the groundbreaking. “It is great to see Pratt & Whitney choose to invest and expand their operations in our great state, and I look forward to continuing to make Oklahoma Top Ten for aerospace and defense.”
The new facility is an addition to Pratt & Whitney’s existing Oklahoma City operation. The company has over 500 full-time employees across a wide range of professions, including engineering, operations, finance, data analytics, materials and logistics, quality, and procurement, as well as an additional 500 contract and partner employees.
The new facility will create an addition 100 full-time jobs over the next five years. It is comprised of offices, meeting and collaboration spaces, storage and procurement facilities, and engineering workspaces
“Our investment in this state-of-the-art facility underscores our commitment to meeting both today’s sustainment needs and preparing for the future,” said Greg Treacy, vice president of Pratt & Whitney in Oklahoma City. “This expansion more than doubles our footprint in Oklahoma City, ensuring we have the capacity and agility to support increased workloads as military programs ramp up and new ones come online.”
The new facility is equipped with automation and advanced technologies that are expected to streamline processes by improving accuracy, speed and cost-effectiveness. It also has LEED-certified energy-efficient systems and waste reduction processes designed to enhance sustainability and operational efficiency.
The facility supports Pratt & Whitney’s public-private partnership with the U.S. Air Force.
