Pratt & Whitney's PurePower engines have successfully powered the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) in its first flight. Mitsubishi was the first airframer to select the PurePower Geared Turbofan™ engine. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company. 

"The Mitsubishi Regional Jet has made our country proud and the Pratt & Whitney propulsion technology used on this world-class aircraft has made today possible," said Hiromichi Morimoto, president, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. "The Mitsubishi team, in close coordination with the Pratt & Whitney team, has made the MRJ's first flight a great success."

"Eight years ago, Mitsubishi believed in the ingenuity of our newest technology – the PurePower engine – and we are proud to make their stunning aircraft fly today," said Greg Gernhardt, president, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines. "Over the course of our history, Mitsubishi and Pratt & Whitney have worked to innovate and create new technologies that advance the passenger travel industry. What we have accomplished together is truly impressive and we look forward to continuing on this path forward."

With more than 23,000 hours of testing and perfecting, including 40,000 cycles, the PurePower engine continues to prove its capabilities in the skies. Now, Pratt & Whitney has three PurePower engines powering the next-generation of aircraft. 

The PurePower Geared Turbofan engine family has about 7,000 orders, including options, with more than 70 customers from more than 30 countries.