Gulf Air, Bahrain's national carrier, has selected IAE International Aero Engines to power 6 Airbus A321 aircraft.

The value to Pratt & Whitney (P&W) of the order and aftermarket agreement is approximately $60 million. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company and a major participant in IAE.

With this order, Gulf Air becomes a launch customer for IAE's new V2500 SelectTwo(TM) engine. These extended-range Airbus platforms will be delivered in 2012, marking Gulf Air's initial introduction of V2500 engines into its fleet.

IAE is a multinational aero engine consortium comprised of Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, the Japanese Aero Engines Corp. and MTU Aero Engines.

Nearly 6,500 V2500 engines are in service or on firm order with the worldwide fleet accumulating more than 85 million flying hours. Pratt & Whitney is a member of the IAE consortium, which has provided outstanding engines and support services to its nearly 200 global customers for more than 25 years. Pratt & Whitney recently reaffirmed its commitment to IAE and its product line, agreeing to extend IAE's collaboration agreement to 2045.

The V2500 is available in seven different thrust settings, from 22,000 to 33,000 lbs., to power the Airbus A319, A320 and A321 family of aircraft as well as the A319 Corporate Jet.

The V2500 SelectOne(TM) build standard delivers an additional 1 percent fuel burn advantage, along with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions, and it improves time on-wing by up to 20 percent, compared to a standard V2500-A5. It is compliant with the most stringent CAEP/6 NOx standards. It entered service in October 2008. An upgrade option for the V2500 SelectOne(TM), SelectTwo is projected to provide 0.58% fuel burn savings compared to the V2500 SelectOne engine for a 500 nautical mile A320 mission.  SelectTwo is comprised of a software upgrade for the Electronic Engine Control (EEC) as well as a new data entry plug (DEP).