It's also a sign that quick-strike deals may be more opportunistic than company takeovers. In October, United Technologies' ( UTX ) jet engine division Pratt & Whitney bought out a $1.5 billion joint venture with Rolls-Royce, ending a partnership to build V2500 jet engines. The deal may be a signal of opportunistic partnership buyouts. "I think the larger companies can potentially take advantage of these situations and opportunistically buyout their partnership. Clearly it was part of the mandate of United Technologies in buying out the partnership of Rolls Royce," said Russell Solomon an analyst with Moody's ( MCO ). Solomon says that both firms entered the partnership to pool funds and expertise to develop engine designs without taking on too much financial risk. He added, "At a certain point invariably someone wants to take a controlling stake" once designs are successfully developed.