NAGOYA, Japan, Nov. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 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. (NYSE: UTX) 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.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit the website at www.utc.com or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

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Sara Banda
Pratt & Whitney
860-565-4031 office
860-202-8644 mobile
sara.banda@pw.utc.com

Alice Straight
Pratt & Whitney
860-565-2344 office
860-830-6817 mobile
alice.straight@pw.utc.com

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SOURCE Pratt & Whitney