Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Completes Acquisition of ARDE, Inc.

CANOGA PARK, Calif., Nov. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has completed the acquisition of ARDE, Inc., an industry-leading manufacturer of high performance spacecraft and missile propulsion components. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

ARDE, located in Carlstadt, N.J., produces pressure vessels, propellant tanks and support structures, and provides integration of propulsion subassemblies. The company has more than 60 years of in-flight incident-free service to the space and missile industry, and has produced over 4,000 spacecraft and missile tanks.

"The addition of ARDE to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne enhances our offering of superior quality, leading edge products and services to our customers," said Jim Maser, president, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. "We see ARDE as a key enabler of our growth as a full-service provider of integrated propulsion solutions to the commercial, military and civilian space market."

Kirk Sneddon has been named general manager of ARDE and will be responsible for the integration of ARDE systems into the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne organization. ARDE is a major supplier of tanks and pressure vessels to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne products.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

    Bryan Kidder                Carri Karuhn
    Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne  Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
    818 586-2213                818 586-4963
    bryan.kidder@pwr.utc.com    carri.karuhn@pwr.utc.com