Pratt & Whitney today announced that Paul Adams , 51, is appointed Chief Operating Officer effective immediately and reporting to Pratt & Whitney President David P. Hess . Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

“Pratt & Whitney is entering an exciting period with many programs in development and new products entering service across our markets,” said Hess. “To ensure a unified and integrated approach to managing the vast increase in volume associated with the success of our new products, we have created the new position of Chief Operating Officer. Paul Adams is uniquely qualified to fill this role and will collaborate with me to develop and lead strategic initiatives in support of our growth plan.”

As Chief Operating Officer, Adams will lead a unified operations strategy across all Pratt & Whitney business units to ensure the readiness of the company’s global supply chain. At the same time, Paul will drive the engineering and programs organizations to achieve on-time entry-into-service of all the company’s programs. Among the organizations reporting to Paul will be Commercial Engines, Military Engines, Pratt & Whitney Canada , Power Systems, AeroPower, as well as Engineering and Operations.

Paul brings to this position nearly 30 years of engine knowledge and the demonstrated capability to lead large organizations through complex, large-scale projects. Most recently, his leadership in Engineering and Operations, and collaboration with the Commercial Engines and Military Engines teams, has enabled Pratt & Whitney to meet program milestones for the Geared Turbofan™ and the F135 engines.

“Pratt & Whitney has a proud 87-year legacy of delivering dependable engines and services to our customers and in leading the industry in providing innovative propulsion technology that advances aviation across all sectors,” Hess said. “With this move we look forward to delivering even better propulsion system products and services that continue building on that legacy.”

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 commercial building industries.