BLUF
The F135 engine currently powers the F35 Lightning stealth fighter, but General Electric's XA100 adaptive cycle engine is a possible alternative.Summary
KEY POINTS:
- 9% of F-35s are unavailable due to "engine issues" (including spare parts) when the target is 6%.
- There has been a 50% drop in engine costs since production began.
- Pratt & Whitney employs 11,000 workers in Connecticut, USA, so state politicians are keen to keep jobs in Connecticut.
References
- F-35 01: COLLECTION | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
- JUL 2022 No Engine, No Fly: Ongoing Propulsion Program Problems Are Grounding F-35s-The Drive
- JUL 2022 Troubled Lockheed F-35 Risks More Groundings on Lack of Working Engines -Bloomberg
- AUG 2022 GE, Pratt & Whitney Publicly Pitch F-35 Engine Plans as Decision Looms-Air Force magazine
