The US Air Force will discuss the F135 engine upgrade process with partners and move to a new logistics support concept for the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets

The US Department of Defence wants to upgrade the engines in all fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters. However, the issue has not yet been discussed with partners.

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Pratt & Whitney has been able to fix the "harmonic resonance" problem in the F135 powerplant for the F-35 fighter jet. The Pentagon wants the company to upgrade more than 900 aircraft in service in the US and other countries.

However, the propulsion system is facing a global upgrade as the US Air Force has given up on developing an adaptive cycle engine for the F-35. The US Department of Defence is expected to discuss the F135 upgrade with international partners by the end of 2023.

According to Lieutenant General Michael Schmidt, the partners are aware of the upcoming costs and how much of the programme they have to fund. The topic will be discussed in detail at the end of September 2023. Schmidt recalled that the US, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway meet twice a year to set priorities for the F-35 programme.

In addition, the US Air Force wants to move to a new logistics support concept for fifth-generation fighters. It is called Performance-Based Logistics (PBL). This term was first introduced by the Pentagon several years ago.

The F-35 programme is due to switch to performance-based logistics by the end of 2023. The new approach is expected to reduce cost and accelerate project development. The concept is performance-driven. It will give contractors the flexibility to meet requirements. They will receive funds based on results achieved, i.e. payments will not be driven by prices of components or services.

Source: Defence One