Leading aerospace manufacturer Alcoa today announced a 10-year, $1.1 billion agreement with Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp., for state-of-the-art jet engine components. Under the deal signed at the Farnborough Air Show, Alcoa will supply key parts for Pratt & Whitney's engines, including the forging for the first ever aluminum fan blade for jet engines. The forging was developed for Pratt & Whitney's PurePower® engines using an advanced aluminum alloy and a proprietary manufacturing process. Also for the PurePower engines, Alcoa is developing a fan blade forging using its most advanced aluminum-lithium alloy.

“We're going where no materials scientist has gone before,” said Alcoa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Klaus Kleinfeld. “Combining Alcoa's proprietary alloys and unique manufacturing processes with Pratt & Whitney's design, we cracked the code on forging an aluminum fan blade that is lighter and enables better fuel efficiency. Through this exciting new 10-year deal, Alcoa will deliver not only aluminum fan blade forgings but also a range of other advanced product forms, from blades and vanes to structural castings, for some of Pratt and Whitney's best-selling engines.”

Under the $1.1 billion deal, Alcoa will supply components for Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1000G, V2500, GP7000 and several other regional jet and military engines. The unique Geared Turbofan™ architecture of the PurePower engine allows for aluminum alloys to be used in the Pratt & Whitney designed fan blades, making the engine lighter, as well as more fuel and cost efficient. The PurePower engine will be used to power some of the world's highest volume aircraft, including the next-generation Airbus A320neo. The transaction includes United Technologies Corporation “One Company” terms and conditions that provide for a common contracting approach between UTC and Alcoa divisions, thereby facilitating future collaboration.

“Through our novel engine design, and by working with industry leaders such as Alcoa, we are able to provide our customers with double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency, environmental emissions and noise. The PurePower engine's hybrid metallic fan blade represents a significant advance in our engine design and allows us to meet engine performance requirements while reducing weight and cost,” said Paul Adams, president, Pratt & Whitney. “This agreement demonstrates the value of our proven next-generation engines. As we prepare to ramp-up production of these engines, we are actively seeking suppliers like Alcoa who can deliver high-quality parts, while meeting cost targets.”

Pratt & Whitney's advanced gear system allows the fan to rotate at a slower speed and the hot section to operate at higher speeds, optimizing the running conditions of both. The large, light-weight fan moves more than 90 percent of the air around the core, delivering a very quiet engine with very low fuel burn. The larger fan diameter also opened the door to materials beyond titanium and composites.

“We worked in lock step with Pratt & Whitney during their development of the engine, providing technical solutions that previously did not exist,” said Eric Roegner, Chief Operating Officer, Alcoa Investment Castings, Forgings, and Extrusions. “This breakthrough harnessed the full capabilities of the Alcoa Advantage—the combination of our metallic science expertise at the Alcoa Technical Center and our manufacturing strength at our plants in Cleveland, Ohio and Lafayette, Indiana.”

Alcoa plans to use aluminum and aluminum-lithium from its Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Lafayette, Indiana facilities for the front fan blades, which will be produced using proprietary manufacturing processes at its Cleveland, Ohio plant. Several of Alcoa's facilities including La Porte, Indiana; Whitehall, Michigan; Dover, New Jersey; and Wichita Falls, Texas will supply the blades, vanes and structural components, produced using nickel-based superalloys, titanium as well as aluminum.

This supply agreement supports Alcoa's strategy of profitably growing its aerospace business, which had revenues totaling $4 billion in 2013. The Company holds leading market positions in aerospace forgings, extrusions, jet engine airfoils and fastening systems and is a leading supplier of structural castings made of titanium, aluminum and nickel-based superalloys, which are produced by its downstream business, Engineered Products and Solutions (EPS). The Company also holds leading market positions in aerospace sheet and plate produced by its midstream business, Global Rolled Products (GRP).