Cleared For 'Up-And-Away' Flight Ops

Pratt & Whitney recently received a statement of qualification for the F135 short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) propulsion system from the F-35 Joint Program Office. This statement clears Pratt & Whitney's F135-PW-600 STOVL propulsion system for up-and-away flight operations.

"This certification letter is a step on the critical path to flying the aircraft and brings us closer to powering the first flight of the F-35 Lightning II STOVL variant this spring," said Bill Gostic, Pratt & Whitney vice president, F135 engine programs.

The F135-PW-600 STOVL propulsion system includes lift system components designed by Rolls-Royce and integrated into the STOVL propulsion system by Pratt & Whitney.

Though not without its share of difficulties, the F135 program has recently cleared a series of milestones -- including sea level testing and accelerated mission testing for endurance and durability qualification. Pratt & Whitney notes the F135 has exceeded 9,800 test hours in the system development and demonstration ground test program and the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) engine continues to power the F-35 Lightning II flight test program with 40 flights and more than 49 flight test hours to date.

Rated at more than 40,000 pounds of thrust, the F135 is the most powerful fighter engine ever built. The F135 is an evolution of the F119 engine for the F-22 Raptor. By the time the F-35 enters operation in 2013, the F119 engines will have logged more than 600,000 flight hours and the F135 will have completed more than 16,000 flight hours.

FMI: www.pratt-whitney.com/