Jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney cuts 300 US jobs

EAST HARTFORD — Jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney is cutting 300 salaried jobs in the United States, including 200 in Connecticut.

In a statement Thursday, the Connecticut-based subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. said it assesses staffing to ensure it is in line with business and economic conditions. A spokesman did not specify which jobs are being cut.

President David Hess told reporters on May 2 that sales are expected to double to $24 billion by the end of the decade. But the company must first get through a few years as the military shifts to new fighter jets that require different engines.

High fuel costs and the weak economic recovery also are pressuring airline customers.

Pratt & Whitney posted sales of $3.05 billion in the first quarter, up 6 percent. Profit slid 9 percent, to $389 million.