The project is set to be jointly executed by Pratt & Whitney and its retyping arm GATORWORKS, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, and Raytheon Technologies Research Center.

According to the company, GATORWORKS has completed initial concept development ahead of schedule.

“Given the need for this critical engine technology, the Raytheon Technologies team will utilise its advanced resources and expertise to meet the technical objectives in an expeditious fashion,” Dave Stagney, director of GATORWORKS, said.

As part of its contribution to the program, the AFRL Program Office aims to enable the team to work in sprints to mitigate risks associated with the production of advanced technology while accelerating technology maturation.

“AFRL is excited to work with Pratt & Whitney to advance this novel and military relevant propulsion architecture,” Dr Michael Gregg, director, aerospace directorate, AFRL, said.

“Pratt & Whitney has made considerable progress developing this concept to date and we look forward to successfully demonstrating this important technology in collaboration with the RTX team.”

The engine will be designed to fly at higher Mach speeds to enable and broaden future vehicle designs and applications.

The new technology is expected to be integrated into Pratt &Whitney’s high-speed engine portfolio, supporting future customer requirements.

[Related: Raytheon tapped to deliver payload for missile warning system]