The development of the PW800 stretches back to demonstration projects in 1999, soon after the development of the PW600 very light engine and the PW300 business jet engine. After the Advanced Technology Fan Integrator demonstrator first ran on March 17, 2001, which became the PW1000G, Pratt & Whitney Canada was searching for a launch customer for the initially geared PW800, in the thrust range, bridging the gap between P&WC's PW300 and P&W's PW6000, intended for the regional- and business-jet engine market. The PW800 core was to be the basis for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW180, a turboprop engine proposed for the Airbus A400M Atlas. However the Europrop TP400 was selected instead. Pratt & Whitney Canada showcased at the 2007 Paris Air Show its PW-10X engine development, within the 10,000-pound-thrust-class among the Rolls-Royce RB282, General Electric CF34 successor which became the General Electric Passport, Snecma Silvercrest and Honeywell pushing its HTF10000 development of the HTF7000.
PW810 for the Citation Columbus
In 2008, the PW810 variant was announced as the engine for the Cessna Citation Columbus business jet with an anticipated first flight of 2011. However Cessna canceled the program in 2009, which halted the PW810 program, but Pratt & Whitney continued the PW800 series development. Pratt & Whitney announced that the core high pressure spool with eight compressor and two turbine stages should start testing before the end of 2009. In December 2009, PWC announced that the core testing had begun. It made its first run in April 2012 and first flew in April 2013.
PW814/815 for the Gulfstream G500/G600
On October 20, 2014, the engine was selected by Gulfstream for its new Gulfstream G500/G600. Pratt & Whitney Canada announced on February 17, 2015 that it had received Transport Canadatype certification for its PW814GA and PW815GA engines, which will power the new Gulfstream G500 and G600 business jets, respectively. On May 18, 2015, the Gulfstream G500 took its first flight using the PW814A engine after the PW800 engine family has surpassed 3,600 hours of full engine testing, including rigorous endurance testing that simulates a multitude of aircraft missions and environments, and more than 470 hours on P&WC's 747 Flying Test Bed. The United States Federal Aviation Administration validated the PW814GA and PW815GA type certificate on February 24, 2017. In May 2017, 13,000h of testing were completed, including 3,500h in flight. In October this rose to 16,600 hours and 16,800 cycles, the first shop visit is scheduled at 10,000 hours and it needs 20% fewer inspections and 40% lower on-wing maintenance than its competitors In September 2018, the first Gulfstream G500 was delivered with the 14,000 lbf PW814. The Gulfstream G600 should be first delivered in June 2019, powered by the PW815.
The PW800 was originally going to be a geared turbofan like the PW1000G. Later announcements revealed that it wasn't going to feature a reduction gear. The engine will feature the Technology for Advanced Low NOx X combustor, allowing it to exceed International Civil Aviation Organization standards for NOx by 50%, Carbon monoxide by 35% and that the engine should meet upcoming stage IV aircraft noise requirements. A previous version of the TALON combustor is in service with the Pratt & Whitney PW4000. MTU Aero Engines has a 15% share in the program, developing and producing various stage of the high-pressure compressor and the low-pressure turbine. The PW814/PW815 shares the core of the PW1500G geared turbofan, powering the Airbus A220. The PW812D shares the core of the PW1200G powering the Mitsubishi MRJ.
Variants
;PW810
was to produce 8,830 lbf thrust to power the cancelled Cessna Citation Columbus.