Pratt & Whitney received another $75 million to upgrade F135 engine for F-35 Lightning II fighters

Pratt & Whitney is working on upgrading the F135 engine, which is used in all versions of the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.

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The manufacturer recently received an additional $75 million in funding, which brings the December investment up to $190 million since the company signed a $115 million contract with the Pentagon a few weeks ago.

Pratt & Whitney wants to upgrade the F135 engine, which is used in the F-35A, F-35B and F-35C fighters. The powerplant improvements should be completed by the end of the decade, when the Pentagon begins receiving Block IV-level aircraft. The company says the upgraded version of the F135 will be ready for service in 2028.

Pratt & Whitney has already been able to cut the cost of the F135 in half since production began. The company believes that upgrading the propulsion system in the future will save the United States $40 billion. An alternative option is to create the XA101 adaptive cycle engine, but the company suggests keeping it for the sixth-generation fighter, which will appear in the middle of the next decade. General Electric is also working on an adaptive cycle engine.

Source: UKDJ