Tue, Feb 03, 2004
F135 for the JSF Runs to Full Afterburner
Pratt & Whitney
(P&W) is going for the gusto, as its first F135
production configuration test engine (FX631) has successfully
completed its first test run to full power with full afterburner.
The F135 will power the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
This milestone represents the first time FX631 has been run to
full augmented power. FX631 has performed exceptionally well
through its first quarter of testing in 2003 and is continuing its
success in 2004 with this milestone. To date FX631 has completed
several key testing objectives and accumulated over 150 hours of
total run time.
"It's just awesome," said Bill Gostic, Director of F135 Engine
Programs at P&W. "To have gone from concept to running at full
afterburner thrust on our first engine in production configuration
in only two years is astonishing. I once again tip my hat to the
entire F135 Propulsion System Team for a continued job well
done."
The F135 program has
also recently delivered its second engine to test on time. FX633 is
currently on site at P&W's West Palm Beach test facility and
has begun testing. Looking ahead to spring, P&W with its
teammates, Rolls- Royce and Hamilton Sundstrand, expects to be
ready to test the first Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL)
system on schedule in the second quarter of 2004.
The F135 Propulsion System Team consists of P&W, the prime
contractor with responsibility for the propulsion system and system
integration for all variants; Hamilton Sundstrand, provider of the
F135's control system, external accessories and gearbox; and
Rolls-Royce, providing the Rolls-Royce LiftFan(TM), 3 Bearing
Swivel Module and Roll Posts to the STOVL (Short Take- Off/Vertical
Landing) F-35B. The technologically advanced F135 has evolved from
the highly acclaimed F119 engine powering the F/A-22 Raptor.
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