Pratt & Whitney's F135 team has completed the engine that will power the first flight of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The milestone, marked with the turning of a ceremonial last bolt Monday, was celebrated at Pratt & Whitney's Engine Center in Middletown, Conn.

"This is an exciting achievement for the Pratt & Whitney F135 team and the entire JSF program," said Bill Gostic, Vice President, F135 Engine Programs for Pratt & Whitney. "Completing this engine on time and on budget is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the people whose efforts make this program so successful. We are all looking forward to the F-35's first flight next year."

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a stealthy, supersonic, multirole aircraft being developed for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as international partners. Pratt & Whitney has been the lead propulsion system on the JSF program since the concept demonstration phase began in 1996. The F135 is an evolution of the highly successful F119 engine for the F/A-22 Raptor.

"The completion of Flight Test Engine #1 marks a profound and recognizable milestone on the Joint Strike Fighter development journey," said Rear Admiral Steven Enewold, JSF Program Executive Officer, who attended the ceremony.

"It symbolizes thousands of hours of design, analysis, and manufacturing with over 4,000 hours of ground testing by the nine test engines. I look forward to getting the engine installed in our first aircraft down at Fort Worth and bringing the total system together."

The first flight test F135 engine will be delivered to Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth, Texas, plant later this month, and the F135 program will achieve Initial Flight Release in spring of 2006. The engine will be installed in the first flight test JSF aircraft early next year and the F135 will be the exclusive power for the F-35's first flights, which will begin in the third quarter of 2006.

FMI: www.pratt-whitney.com