The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that UTC Aerospace Systems' Aerostructures business has been selected to participate in a program to develop new enabling nacelle technologies to reduce engine fuel burn and noise as part of the FAA's Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) initiative. UTC Aerospace Systems is a unit of United Technologies Corp.

UTC Aerospace Systems, a world leader in design, development and production of jet engine nacelles for commercial aircraft, has developed an innovative suite of technologies that will enhance the higher efficiencies projected for next generation ultra-high bypass turbofan engines while offsetting the increased weight and aerodynamic drag that can result from their relatively larger fan diameters. The technologies are critical elements of Aerostructures' ecoIPS (Ecological Integrated Propulsion System), which will leverage a suite of advanced technologies and engine integration strategies to reduce fuel burn and noise.

Under the CLEEN II agreement, UTC Aerospace Systems, in conjunction with Pratt & Whitney, will integrate and produce a ground test demonstration unit that will mature and validate the advanced nacelle technologies of the ecoIPS. The demonstration unit will be tested on a Pratt & Whitney PW1000G Geared Turbofan engine. The ground test unit will feature an advanced, short fan duct integrated thrust reverser with lower drag and improved acoustic treatment for community noise reduction. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company.

"The advanced technologies we will develop as part of the CLEEN II technology demonstrator will build upon our design innovations currently being deployed on the world's newest airplane platforms, such as the Airbus A350 XWB and A320neo, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Bombardier CSeries and the Embraer E2," said Marc Duvall, president, UTC Aerospace Systems' Aerostructures business. "Our goal is to have proven customer-value technologies demonstrated in our ecoIPS ready to enter into service with the next generation of new airplanes."