Jane Edwards 
- Pratt & Whitney completes digital assembly readiness review of Air Force NGAP Program XA103 engine
- Work now moves to procurement and production of physical hardware, eventually leading to engine assembly and testing
- Engine testing expected by the late 2020s
RTX business Pratt & Whitney has announced the completion of a fully digital assembly readiness review of its XA103 engine under the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion, or NGAP, program.
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What Does the Assembly Readiness Review Mean for Pratt & Whitney?
RTX said Friday the assessment marks Pratt & Whitney’s transition from digital design work to physical hardware procurement and production.
Jill Albertelli, president of Pratt & Whitney’s military engines business, said the review demonstrated the company’s digital engineering and collaboration capabilities with the Air Force.
“As we move forward with assembling our engine for testing, our NGAP team is simultaneously developing novel digital validation tools. The performance we expect this engine to deliver exceeds anything available today, reinforcing the critical importance of continuous improvement and stable investment in maintaining propulsion as a strategic competitive advantage,” added Albertelli.
The NGAP team is working with suppliers to buy the components needed to assemble the XA103 engine, which the company expects to test in the late 2020s.
What Is the NGAP Program?
The NGAP program is a U.S. Air Force initiative that seeks to build adaptive propulsion systems for future combat aircraft, including the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter jet. In 2022, the service selected Pratt & Whitney and four other companies to build prototypes of an adaptive engine.
In February 2025, Pratt & Whitney announced the completion of the engine’s detailed design review.
