Pratt & Whitney Begins Testing TJ150 Metal 3D-Printed Jet Engine
An aero engine designed for a lifespan of only minutes to a few hours, intended to be destroyed alongside a missile rather than returned for maintenance—this is exactly the operational context for Pratt & Whitney’s TJ150 turbojet engine.
Nearly 60% of TJ150 Structure is Additively Manufactured
On July 20, during the Farnborough International Airshow, Pratt & Whitney announced the completion of demonstration testing for a 3D-printed version of the TJ150 engine.
Pratt & Whitney stated that, by volume, nearly 60% of the engine's structure is produced via additive manufacturing, including critical static and rotating components.
The tests focused on validating the performance of printed materials under real-world operating conditions and ensuring the engine meets the durability requirements of its missions.
TJ150: A Small Turbojet for Expendable Aerial Platforms
The TJ150 is compact, provides over 150 pounds of thrust, and is designed for efficient high-altitude operation.
Pratt & Whitney explains that it is primarily used in cruise missiles and autonomous platforms designed for one-time missions, such as the Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD), a low-cost decoy platform used to jam and confuse radar air defense systems, which has high requirements for both stealth and mass-production costs.
The "Black Arrow," a small cruise missile developed by Leidos subsidiary Dynetics, also uses this engine. Officially designated the AGM-190A by the U.S. Air Force this February, the missile can reach speeds of Mach 0.8 at a cruising altitude of approximately 30,000 feet, and has previously completed guided flight tests from an AC-130J gunship.
Pratt & Whitney revealed that, to date, more than 2,700 TJ150 units have been delivered to global customers.
The Real Key: Transitioning from Traditional Manufacturing to a 3D-Printed Version
The true highlight of this test is not just the engine itself, but the fact that it employs an entirely new 3D-printed design.
Pratt & Whitney's advanced project team, GATORWORKS, led the initial structural redesign of the TJ150. In collaboration with the company’s technology and manufacturing teams and the RTX Technology Research Center, they used a unitization approach to consolidate over 50 individual components of the hot section into a few large-scale printed parts.
Within Pratt & Whitney, GATORWORKS specializes in projects that demand rapid solution proposals and quick prototyping.
With a reduced number of parts in the 3D-printed version, assembly is simplified, connection points are minimized, and potential failure locations are reduced.
Pratt & Whitney noted that the team completed this entire design and testing cycle internally in only eight months—a significant reduction compared to traditional aero-engine development cycles.
The Biggest Challenge: 3D-Printing High-Speed Rotating Turbine Components
The truly difficult task is the rotating components.
Additive manufacturing for static structures in the hot section is relatively mature, but turbine impellers must rotate at high speeds in high-temperature, high-pressure environments. The mechanical and thermal stresses they endure are on an entirely different scale, traditionally relying on forging and precision machining.
Pratt & Whitney tested a standalone 3D-printed turbine impeller in 2025, but this time, it was installed into the full engine to be verified under conditions approximating actual missions.
Extending TJ150 Experience to the Next-Gen Valox Engine Series
Test results indicate that the 3D-printed rotating components successfully passed verification. Pratt & Whitney is now extending the additive manufacturing experience gained from the TJ150 project to the next-generation Valox engine series.
Jill Albertelli, President of Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, stated that for expendable engines like the TJ150, which often have mission durations of only minutes to a few hours, simplifying design and increasing production capacity are vital development directions.
According to official statements, Valox is a scalable engine family ranging from 500 to 1,800 pounds of thrust, aimed at emerging platforms such as cruise missiles and autonomous wingmen.
The smaller Valox 700 in the family is internally funded by Pratt & Whitney and remains focused on platforms like cruise missiles and drones.
The larger Valox 1500 has received a funding contract of over $10 million from the U.S. Air Force. Also managed by the GATORWORKS team, it aims to provide power for ongoing autonomous wingman projects.
More Competitors Emerging in the Small Aero-Engine Market
On July 21, Pratt & Whitney announced that the Valox 1500 had completed a key design milestone. However, Pratt & Whitney is not the only player in this race.
Honeywell’s SkyShot 1600, as well as the GEK1500 jointly launched by GE Aerospace and Kratos, are developing propulsion solutions in similar thrust classes.
The U.S. Air Force is simultaneously funding Beehive Industries to develop similar solutions, while also selecting GE and Rolls-Royce to research engines in higher thrust classes.
Why Start Additive Manufacturing with This Type of Aero Engine?
Pratt & Whitney’s decision to first verify 3D printing technology on cruise missiles and expendable platforms follows clear engineering logic.
Such engines have a mission life of only minutes to hours and do not face the decades of repeated take-offs, landings, maintenance, and overhaul cycles required for civil aviation engines. Therefore, their product life cycles and verification requirements differ, making them an application area where additive manufacturing is easier to further validate.
Furthermore, there is persistent pressure regarding order volume and delivery pace. When traditional forging, machining, and supply chain capacity struggle to expand rapidly, metal additive manufacturing offers clear value in shortening processes, consolidating parts, and increasing production flexibility.
Key Verification for Metal 3D-Printed Aero Engines
Over the past few years, manufacturing hot-section rotating parts using metal 3D printing in the aero-engine field has been considered one of the more technologically challenging applications, which is why Pratt & Whitney highlighted the turbine impeller test so specifically this time.
The signal sent by this test is that metal additive manufacturing is once again advancing toward real-world aero-engine operating environments.
Whether this 3D printing approach can be directly extended to large, high-bypass turbofan engines for civil aviation remains another question. Civil aviation engines face much stricter reliability standards, airworthiness certification, and decades-long service cycles, making the technical barrier entirely different.
However, for applications that prioritize cost, lead time, and scale, such as cruise missiles, decoy platforms, and autonomous aerial platforms, metal additive manufacturing has demonstrated new possibilities.
Shifting from Pursuing Extreme Performance to Rapid, Scalable Manufacturing
As mentioned at the beginning, the mission cycle for engines like the TJ150 differs from traditional aero engines.
Looking at the broader picture, among the projects targeting cruise missiles and autonomous platforms, one U.S. Air Force concept is known as "Family of Affordable Managed Munitions" (FAMM). One of its cores is how to enable related equipment to have better cost and scalable production capabilities, rather than simply pursuing peak performance.
From a manufacturing standpoint, 3D printing is gaining attention because it could allow complex aerospace parts to enter mass production faster, while simultaneously reducing the part count, shortening assembly processes, and increasing manufacturing flexibility.
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