Company, DoD Agree To Contract For 8th Lot Of F135 Engines

The F-35 Joint Program Office and Pratt & Whitney say they have concluded an investigation into an engine issue that grounded the fleet of Joint Strike Fighters earlier this year.

The investigation revealed that the June 23 engine mishap on an F-35A at Eglin Air Force Base was caused by a "hard rub" between the Rotor 3 and the polyimide stationary seal on Stator 2 led to excessive heating and fracturing of the rotor in the fan section of the engine.

"Pratt & Whitney and the JPO worked around the clock and conducted an extensive investigation, and we are confident that we now have improvements in place that will allow us to resume normal flight operations," said Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, F-35 Program Executive Officer. "We flew the in-flight rub in maneuver with aircraft AF-4, and the engine components looked great in follow up inspections. We also conducted flight tests with pre-trenched hardware on AF-2 with similar results."

"We are working closely with the JPO and the Services to expand the flight envelope and to finish the last stages of development," said Chris Flynn, vice president, Pratt & Whitney F135/F119 Engine Programs. "Pratt & Whitney stands behind the F135 engine and continues to support the operational fleet. We are working closely with the JPO to finalize the fleet upgrade plan to meet key initial operational capability milestones."

With the investigation concluded the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded the company a modification to a previously awarded contract for the eighth lot of F135 propulsion systems to power F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The announcement for $793 million raises the total contract value to $1.052 billion. Previous awards, valued at $259 million, were given for long lead items and sustainment.
 
The low rate initial production (LRIP) contract for the eighth lot will deliver 48 total engines. The contract also includes program management, engineering support, and spare modules. Average prices for the conventional takeoff and landing and carrier variant (CTOL/CV) and short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant engines were reduced roughly 3.5 to 4.5 percent respectively from LRIP 7 to LRIP 8.

(Images from file)

FMI: www.pw.utc.com, www.jsf.mil