Pratt & Whitney Canada Engines Found in Chinese Military Attack Helicopter
10/24/07 02:33 PM Filed in: Export
| International
Trade
The New
York Times reported
yesterday that
the U.S. State Department is investigating how
engines made by a Pratt & Whitney Canadian
subsidiary made it into a Chinese attack
helicopter. Pratt & Whitney Canada stated
last week that 10 engines were sent to China in
2001 and 2002 under a Canadian government export
license for civilian use. But, the company said
that the engines ended up in prototypes of the
Z-10, China's first domestically developed
attack copter, designed to carry guided antitank
missiles.
The Times reports that while the Canadian government has no plans to take action against Pratt & Whitney for the military diversion, a State Department spokesman, Karl E. Duckworth, said that the U.S. government is continuing an investigation into the company's actions.
In an e-mailed statement, a Pratt & Whitney spokesman, Jean-Daniel Hamelin, stated that the company was selected by a Chinese aircraft maker in 2000 to provide engines for the civilian variation of a helicopter that was simultaneously being developed for the military. He wrote that when Pratt & Whitney applied for the Canadian export license, the company understood that the Chinese would develop their own engine for the military model. The two helicopters were being developed, he said, on a "common platform" that shared rotors and transmissions. Mr. Hamelin stated, "the Chinese engine encountered delays, and our engines were used during the development of the common platform," adding, "The program has undergone changes by the Chinese. The Canadian government is currently re-evaluating the program."
The New York Times states that, "Several aviation publications have reported that the Chinese military has still been unable to create its own copter engine and that it continues to rely on engines made by Pratt & Whitney."
The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which issued the export license, said on Friday that it had no concerns about the way the engine sale was handled or the effectiveness of its export control program for technologies with potential military applications. François Jubinville, a spokesman for the international trade minister stated, "Pratt & Whitney lived up to the condition of the licenses. We're pretty confident that our control system was used properly."
When asked whether the system was working properly given that the engines had ultimately been put to military use, Mr. Jubinville replied, "The question should be asked to the Chinese."
The Times reports that while the Canadian government has no plans to take action against Pratt & Whitney for the military diversion, a State Department spokesman, Karl E. Duckworth, said that the U.S. government is continuing an investigation into the company's actions.
In an e-mailed statement, a Pratt & Whitney spokesman, Jean-Daniel Hamelin, stated that the company was selected by a Chinese aircraft maker in 2000 to provide engines for the civilian variation of a helicopter that was simultaneously being developed for the military. He wrote that when Pratt & Whitney applied for the Canadian export license, the company understood that the Chinese would develop their own engine for the military model. The two helicopters were being developed, he said, on a "common platform" that shared rotors and transmissions. Mr. Hamelin stated, "the Chinese engine encountered delays, and our engines were used during the development of the common platform," adding, "The program has undergone changes by the Chinese. The Canadian government is currently re-evaluating the program."
The New York Times states that, "Several aviation publications have reported that the Chinese military has still been unable to create its own copter engine and that it continues to rely on engines made by Pratt & Whitney."
The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which issued the export license, said on Friday that it had no concerns about the way the engine sale was handled or the effectiveness of its export control program for technologies with potential military applications. François Jubinville, a spokesman for the international trade minister stated, "Pratt & Whitney lived up to the condition of the licenses. We're pretty confident that our control system was used properly."
When asked whether the system was working properly given that the engines had ultimately been put to military use, Mr. Jubinville replied, "The question should be asked to the Chinese."