The Aerospace Advantage

Air Combat Propulsion Update: Innovator Perspectives — Ep. 307

September 12, 2026·37 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Episode Summary: Jet propulsion is one of the most important technologies in airpower. Whether you’re going head-to-head with an enemy fighter, crossing an ocean on a mobility flight, or trying to make it back to base amidst bad weather at night…there’s nothing more important than having confidence in the engine that’s powering your airplane. The technology is so dependable these days that folks just expect them to work. That said, we can’t take this position of strength for granted. Competitors like China are trying to catch up with their own designs. We are in a propulsion race and we can only preserve our lead if we continue to invest in new technologies and produce at scale. We learn more about this topic with Peter Sommerkorn, Vice President for Military Development Programs at Pratt and Whitney, and Chris Hugill, Vice President for the company’s prototyping arm, Gatorworks. Credits: Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Peter Sommerkorn, Vice President, Military Development Programs, Pratt & Whitney Guest: Chris Hugill, Vice President, Pratt & Whitney GATORWORKS Links: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #AirForce #Technology

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