Pratt & Whitney Canada reveals newly certificated clean-sheet PT9 turboprop

New centreline engine will produce 1,700-2,000shp – a step up from the PT6.
Transport Canada has certificated the clean-sheet PT9 turboprop that Pratt & Whitney Canada has been quietly developing over several years.

The manufacturer disclosed the approval on 21 October during the NBAA-BACE show in Las Vegas, saying the 2,000shp (1,490kW)-class engine has “novel architecture” and will be capable of powering a variety of aircraft.

The company does not specify which aircraft might be candidates but says single- and twin-engined types are on the table.

P&WC insists the PT9 will not replace its venerable PT6 family, versions of which cover a range outputs spanning roughly 500shp to 1,9000shp.

“The PT9 is really birthing the next-generation of general aviation products,” says P&WC president Sathesh Kumar Kumarasingam. “This is a clean-sheet… It’s not everyday that a new centreline engine is certified.”

The PT9 fills the 1,700-2,300shp range and is suitable for “multiple platforms”, Kumarasingam says. No launch application has been disclosed but he says P&WC is “now in advanced communication with several OEMs.”

He says the propulsion specialist will reveal more about future applications and the engine’s capabilities in the coming months.

Transport Canada’s type certificate data sheet for the PT9 – designated the PT9A-11 – is available on the regulator’s website; the agency approved the powerplant on 30 September.

With Canada’s approval in hand, P&WC has now filed for validation by the Federal Aviation Administration and European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

“The PT9 engine combines jet-like performance, turboprop efficiency and advanced digital intelligence in a next-generation architecture,” says P&WC.

The engine produces “33% more power at altitude and reduces fuel consumption by 20% compared to previous-generation engines”, it says.

Additionally, it contains fewer life-limited parts than other turboprops, meaning reduced maintenance costs, P&WC claims.

It declines to name comparable engines; others in the 2,000shp category include GE Aerospace’s CT7, which powers aircraft like the long out-of-production Saab 340 airliner. GE’s new Catalyst turboprop sits one peg down, in the 1,200-1,400shp range.

The PT9’s “modularity” make it suitable for future integration with hybrid-electric systems. Its architecture “has been inspired by some of our more-recent larger engines, such as the PW127XT and the PW800, in terms of both the layout, materials and other features”, Kumarasingam says.

P&WC also equipped the powerplant with an electronic engine and propeller control system, which protects against overheating.

The PT9’s barrel diameter will be identical to the PT6’s — 0.48m (19in) — and it will be manufactured in the same Lethbridge, Alberta site as its sister engine.

P&WC had worked on the PT9’s certification for five years, having logged 14,000h of run time, including flight tests, using 12 test engines, says Kumarasingam.

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