Pratt & Whitney has been awarded $2.02bn to produce a new batch of F135 engines for the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jet

The Ministry of Defence has announced the signing of a contract with Pratt & Whitney to produce F135 engines. The propulsion systems are intended for the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.

Here's What We Know

The Pentagon officially announced the contract on June 5, 2023. The deal amounted to $2.02 billion. Work under the contract will be carried out at US company plants in Connecticut, Indiana, Washington, Maine, California, Oregon, Georgia, Virginia and New Jersey, as well as at facilities outside the continental US until December 2025.

The statement says most of the funding will come from non-US partners that are part of the F-35 fighter jet development programme and from foreign military sales funds - nearly $817m. The US Air Force and Navy will cover $557m and $646m respectively.

The new contract does not specify how many engines will be included in batch #17. Two months ago, the company awarded contracts to produce F135 propulsion systems for batches #15 and #16. At that time, Pratt & Whitney said batch #17 could include more than 140 engines.

It is likely that these F135s will be included in the core upgrade programme. This is a necessary step to meet growing power and cooling requirements. Deliveries of the upgraded engines will begin in five years.

Note that the topic of overheating F135s is now under active discussion within the US Department of Defence. The modernization program may cost the Pentagon as much as $38 billion. At the same time, plans of the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps to develop their own requirements for power plant improvement add headache.

Source: Pentagon