Hope To Have F136 Engine 'Up And Running' By Year's End

 The companies designing the F136 alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter say they will redesign a "small part" of that engine after a nut came lose during a static test and damaged a test engine.

GE spokesman Rick Kennedy said the redesign involves a diffuser which directs air into the combustion chamber of the engine. Kennedy told Reuters that the combustor was working properly, and that the F136 should be "up and running" by the end of the year.

The engine was nearly cut from the defense authorization bill, which President Obama signed in October. While authorizing the spending, the administration was reportedly displeased with efforts in the Congress to keep the engine program alive, and pentagon officials are also not particularly pleased with the decision to fun the program. Proponents of the alternative engine say it will prevent any potential grounding of the entire fleet of F-35's should there be an engine problem after the aircraft is deployed.

Pratt & Whitney, which is developing the primary engine for the F-35 Lightning, has also reportedly had some difficulties during testing, though they claim a much more trouble-free development process. GE and Rolls-Royce counter that can be attributed to different funding levels during the development process.

FMI: www.geae.com, www.rolls-royce.com, www.pratt-whitney.com