|
P&W awarded F135 propulsion system production contract |
|
Tuesday, 30 September 2008 |
|
Pratt & Whitney has been awarded a contract to produce its F135 propulsion system for the F-35 Lightning II.
Pratt & Whitney has been awarded with a new production system worth up to $491 million (£272 million) to build its F135 propulsion system for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.
The contract was awarded following 13 successful flight tests of F135-powered F-35 B short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) aircraft.
The low-rate initial production contract will support 12 F-35 production aircraft, including six STOVL and six conventional take-off/landing jets (CTOL), with deliveries of the propulsion systems expected to start in the third quarter of 2009.
Bill Gostic, vice-president of Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine programme, said: "This is our second production contract for CTOL engines and the indruction of the first production deliveries for the STOVL configuration.
"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."
As well as production, the contract also provides through-life support in the form of programme management, logistics support, engineering assistance, spares and production tooling.
The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation, stealth-capable multi-role fighter aircraft being developed for and principally funded by the United States Air Force. Among other customers, the United Kingdom plans to buy 138 of the jets for its Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
 |
