Honeywell added to potential $409 million Air Force engine power research contract

Honeywell International has become the latest company to land a position on a potential seven-year, $409 million contract to help the Air Force build thermal, power and control technologies for air platforms and engines.

Four companies in total hold spots on the contract: Honeywell, General Electric, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The Air Force Research Laboratory received seven proposals for the contract in response to a broad agency announcement posted in January.

All awards are anticipated to be made by the third quarter of this calendar year, according to Deltek.

The Next Generation Thermal, Power and Controls contract calls on participants to help make new engines and both manned and unmanned aircraft through applied research into new technologies and architectures.

AFRL seeks to grow its knowledge of future power, thermal and controls platforms to determine both technological feasibility and production ability.

NGT-PAC also includes dual objectives: an airframer aspect to look at how to get high-power lasers onto combat aircraft and an engine piece that aims to retrofit dual spool power extraction systems into a fighter or bomber’s engine.