Pratt & Whitney Awarded $78M F135 Long Lead Production Contract

EAST HARTFORD, Conn.– Pratt & Whitney was recently awarded a $78 million production contract for F135 engines, powering the F-35 Lightning II. This low rate initial production (LRIP) contract covers F135 long lead material for seven conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) and seven short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35 aircraft. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company.

“This contract allows Pratt & Whitney to acquire and produce F135 engine parts to support our customers and meet the F-35 production and delivery schedule,” said Chris Flynn, director, Pratt & Whitney F135 engine programs.

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 59 successful flight tests and more than 75 flight test hours of the F135-powered CTOL F-35 aircraft; and completing 14 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. This ground and flight test experience will confirm 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.