Full Senate Strips Funding For F136 Alternate JSF Engine

With a voice vote Thursday, the full Senate approved an amendment to the defense authorization bill that removed funding for development of the F136 alternate engine to the Joint Strike Fighter. President Obama had said the engine was unnecessary, and a waste of taxpayers money.

The amendment was offered by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), chair of the Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.

Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney builds the primary engine for the JSF. While proponents of the alternate engine, being developed by a group consisting of GE and Rolls Royce said competition on the contract could significantly reduce costs. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) has been a strong supporter of the alternate.

Government Executive Magazine reports that Lieberman and Senator John McCain (R-AZ, the ranking Republican on the full Armed Services committee, argued that the additional development and operational costs of a second engine system would outweigh the savings brought on by competition.

The fight over the F136 engine is not over. The program has strong supporters in the U.S. House of Representatives, and money for the engine remains in the House version of the Authorization bill. Thursday's vote on the Lieberman amendment likely sets up a showdown between the two chambers in conference committee.

Former President Bush tried repeatedly to kill the F136 program, but was consistently rebuffed by Congress. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the risks of moving forward on the JSF with a single engine design "are manageable as evidenced by the performance of the F-22 and F/A-18E/F, both Air Force and Navy programs supplied by a single engine provider."

FMI: www.senate.gov