Pratt & Whitney has received a contract from India to provide four F117-PW-100 engines for the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
The engines will be delivered in the second quarter of 2012, with India to receive its first C-17s in early 2013, said Pratt & Whitney.
On 6 July this year, India's cabinet confirmed the nation will buy 10 C-17s for $4.1 billion, the largest ever India-US arms deal. When India's C-17 fleet is fully operational, the Indian air force will be the world's second largest operator of the type after the US Air Force.
Speculation in the Indian media indicated the country may purchase six additional C-17s. However, defence minister AK Antony told the Indian parliament in August that there were no such plans.
The F117-PW-100 is closely related to the PW2037 that powers the 757 airliner. Boeing has delivered 239 C-17s with F117 engines.
"The F117 is suited for a wide variety of operating environments and conditions, and it has demonstrated superb performance and reliability from Antarctica to the deserts of the Middle East," said Bev Deachin, vice president of military programmes and customer support at Pratt & Whitney.
IAF C-17s are likely to see service in the remote and austere air fields that dot India's Himalayan frontier with China. In addition, they will prove useful for humanitarian relief operations.
Source: Flight International