Pratt & Whitney will upgrade F135 engines for F-35 Lightning II fighters and save $40 billion

Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Raytheon, will upgrade the engines in the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

Here's What We Know

The Pratt & Whitney F135 is an aircraft turbojet engine with afterburner designed specifically for Lockheed Martin's fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft It is an evolution of the F119 that is fitted to the F-22 Raptor and is used in all Lightning II aircraft (F-35A, F-35B and F-35C).

For the F-35B with vertical takeoff and landing there is a version with a rotary nozzle and a lift fan from Rolls-Royce. The side nozzles provide roll stabilization. The deck-mounted version for the F-35C has corrosion protection.

Pratt & Whitney has received a $115 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to support the F135 engine improvement program. The manufacturer will upgrade propulsion systems for all versions of the F-35 Lightning II.

The upgrades will improve the engines without increasing the weight of the aircraft, production delays or other technical problems. In addition, the program will save taxpayers $40 billion over the life cycle of the F-35 Lightning II.

85% of the contract work will take place at Pratt & Whitney's plant in Connecticut, with the remaining 15% in Indiana. They should be completed in September 2024.

Source: Pentagon

Image: The Defense Post