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Pratt & Whitney Awarded Production Contract for F135 Propulsion Systems

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News 

September 26, 2008

thomas

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Pratt & Whitney was
awarded a production contract worth up to $491 million (including options)
for F135 propulsion systems to power the F-35 Lightning II. This second
F135 low rate initial production contract will support 12 F-35 production
aircraft, including six short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) and six
conventional take-off/landing (CTOL). Propulsion system deliveries are
scheduled to begin in third quarter 2009. Pratt & Whitney is a United
Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

“This is our second production contract for CTOL engines and the
introduction of the first production deliveries for the STOVL
configuration,” said Bill Gostic, vice president, Pratt & Whitney F135
engine programs. “This milestone indicates the continued maturity of the
F135 engine powering the F-35 today, and validates the confidence our
customer has in the CTOL and STOVL propulsion systems.”

In addition to F135 propulsion systems, the contract covers program
management, initial logistics support, engineering assistance, spare
propulsion systems and parts, and production tooling. This award is one in
a series of milestones for the F135 engine program, including exceeding
10,000 ground test hours as part of the system development and
demonstration program; logging 51 successful flight tests and more than 54
flight test hours of the F135-powered CTOL F-35 aircraft; and completing 13
flights of the F-35B powered by Pratt & Whitney’s F135 STOVL propulsion
system.

Rated at more than 40,000 pounds of thrust, the F135 is the most
powerful fighter engine ever built. The technologically advanced F135 is an
evolution of the highly successful F119 engine for the F-22 Raptor. By the
time the F-35 enters operation, the F119 engines will have logged more than
480,000 flight hours. In addition, the F135 will have logged 16,000 flight
hours and more than 17,000 ground test hours. The ground and flight test
experience demonstrate the maturity and the associated reliability of the
F135 engine for armed forces around the world.

The F135 STOVL propulsion system team consists of Pratt & Whitney, the
prime contractor with responsibility for the main engine and system
integration; Rolls-Royce of the United Kingdom, which provides lift
components for the STOVL F-35B; and United Technologies Corp.’s Hamilton
Sundstrand unit, provider of the engine control system and gearbox.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and
service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas
turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified
company providing high technology products and services to the global
aerospace and building industries.

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