At NBAA-BACE 2026 in Las Vegas, Pratt & Whitney Canada has unveiled the PT9 turboprop engine, a new design that the company claims offers 20% lower fuel consumption and 33% more power at altitude than previous-generation engines.
The PT9 has already received Transport Canada certification and gives aircraft manufacturers a new option in the roughly 2,000-shaft-horsepower class. Pratt & Whitney Canada President Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam said that the company had developed it in response to customer demand for an engine in that power range.
The announcement marks a significant departure from the successive improvements that have sustained the PT6 for more than six decades. The PT9 introduces a new engine architecture, giving Pratt & Whitney a separate design to develop for future aircraft and propulsion technologies.
Development of the PT9 took five years and involved 12 test engines, with Canadian certification granted on October 1, 2026.
The program accumulated more than 14,000 development hours. Production will now take place at its facility in Lethbridge, Alberta, which also serves as the company’s center for PT6 turboprop engines.
Serial production of the PT9 could begin in approximately 18 months, depending on customer agreements.
“The PT9 engine represents the next evolution of turboprop propulsion,” Kumarasingam said, adding that its design could accommodate different aircraft types and allow further technology improvements.
The PT9 is intended to complement the PT6 rather than replace it, Pratt & Whitney noted.
The PT6 family entered service in 1963 and has since powered more than 155 aircraft models, accumulating over 500 million flight hours. By its 60th anniversary in 2023, Pratt & Whitney had delivered more than 64,000 engines.
The company has continued to develop the family, introducing the electronically-controlled PT6 E-Series in 2019. Used on the Pilatus PC-12 NGX and Daher TBM 960, it allows pilots to control engine power and propeller speed with a single lever.
The PT9 arrives as GE Aerospace establishes its own new turboprop design. GE’s Catalyst, selected for the Beechcraft Denali, received FAA certification in February 2025. Developed and manufactured in Europe by GE subsidiary Avio Aero amongst others, it brings another newly-designed engine to a market long served by established engine families.
According to Pratt & Whitney, the engine’s modular construction would support future changes, including integration into hybrid-electric propulsion systems.