Air Force
Pratt & Whitney: new $100 million plant in Rzeszów, Poland, for F-35 F135 engine components
Pratt & Whitney, an RTX company, has begun building a new $100 million facility in Rzeszów, south-eastern Poland, to add production of critical rotating engine parts. It is due to open in 2028 and create more than 120 jobs.
Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of RTX, has begun construction of a new $100 million (375 million zloty) facility in Rzeszów in south-eastern Poland. The facility will increase the company’s production capacity and add the manufacture of critical rotating engine components. It will support demand for civil and military engines, including the GTF of passenger aircraft, the F135 of the F-35 fighter and the F100 that powers the F-15 and F-16, according to Defence Industry Europe.
The new facility is expected to open in 2028 and create more than 120 jobs. The project complements the $200 million investment announced in February for a seventh isothermal forging press at Pratt & Whitney’s Columbus Forge plant in Georgia. Together the two investments are expected to raise production of critical components, such as compressor and turbine discs, by 30%, and will be fully operational by 2028. The two sites add capacity at different stages of engine production, one in forging in the United States and the other in rotating-part manufacture in Poland. The Rzeszów investment was presented as a plan six months ago.
“Six months ago we were talking about this investment as a plan and an opportunity to strengthen Poland’s position as a strategic centre of excellence for Pratt & Whitney,” said the Rzeszów site’s general manager, Piotr Ofsicki. “Today we begin turning the plan into reality.”
Rzeszów already produces fan drive gear systems for the GTF, static parts of the F100 and key components of the F135. The site is also active in manufacturing and technology development for turboprop engines and auxiliary power units, with PT6, PW200, PW500/600 and PW800 engine families for helicopters, business aircraft and general aviation. Poland is RTX’s largest base of investment and personnel outside the United States, with more than 9,500 employees across Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and Raytheon. With the new facility, Rzeszów will add rotating-part manufacturing to its current activities.
The investment comes as the United States moves towards a multi-year framework agreement with Lockheed Martin for 850 F-35s, while the US Air Force projects a fleet of 1,509 fighters by 2035 with a larger role for the F-35.