Pratt & Whitney will deliver its first reconfigured JT8D-219 engine, to Northrop Grumman later this month as part of the U.S. Air Force’s re-engined E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft program. This delivery comes on the heels of FAA certification of several modifications to the engine. If the U.S. Air Force chooses to retrofit its entire Joint STARS fleet, production quantities could be in excess of 80 engines. The JT8D-219 engine is assembled and tested in Pratt & Whitney’s Middletown, Conn., facility.
The current commercial JT8D-219 engine with external modifications has been certified to support B707 re-engining via the Supplemental Type Certificate approved by the FAA for Pratt & Whitney’s Joint Venture partner, Seven Q Seven. Seven Q Seven is a San Antonio, Texas-based company that converts and upgrades aircraft, primarily Boeing 707s, for commercial and military support applications. The E-8C is a modified B707-300.
