WASHINGTON — The Pentagon expects to begin issuing early next 12 months the primary in a series of sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s engines.
In a notice posted online Monday, the federal government said the follow-on contract actions to RTX-owned Pratt & Whitney will begin within the second quarter of fiscal 2024, and proceed through the tip of December 2031.
The estimated value of the contracts was not immediately available, but Jen Latka,, vice chairman for Pratt’s F135 program, told reporters in December 2022 the ECU’s development would likely cost about $2.4 billion.
Pratt & Whitney, which makes the F135 engines that power all three version of the F-35, said in a separate statement Tuesday it expects to complete the preliminary design of its Engine Core Upgrade for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in December. The corporate added that it would be ready for the federal government’s official review of that design the next month.
The Engine Core Upgrade is meant to offer more power and cooling capabilities to the F-35 without requiring its current F135 engines to get replaced with a brand new design. Defense officials say the ability and cooling boost will likely be obligatory because the F-35 continues to be upgraded, particularly with a slate of improvements often known as the Block 4 modernization, which can include greater weapons capability, latest sensors, and improved electronic warfare and goal recognition capabilities.
“Pratt & Whitney has 600 employees fully dedicated to this effort, and we’re on target to deliver F-35 operators the ability needed to enable Block 4 capabilities and beyond starting in 2029,” Jen Latka, vice chairman for Pratt’s F135 program, said in an announcement.
The Pentagon’s sole-source notice said the upcoming contracts will cover work for the ECU’s engineering and manufacturing phase, including maturing its design, manufacturing and developing test articles and integrating weapon systems.
The notice didn’t say how much the contracts may be value, but Latka told reporters in December 2022 the ECU’s development would likely cost about $2.4 billion.
The Pentagon had also considered a brand new engine design from General Electric Aerospace, dubbed the XA100, based on adaptive engine technology. The Air Force was keenly concerned with GE’s XA100 and its greater power and cooling abilities for the F-35A jets it flies.
Nevertheless, the Pentagon concluded GE’s design likely wouldn’t work for the Marine Corps’ vertical takeoff F-35B variant, and had doubts about its suitability for the Navy’s carrier-based F-35C. Those worries, in addition to concerns over the GE adaptive engine’s potential costs, led the Pentagon to keep on with and upgrade the F-35′s current engine in a giant win for Pratt & Whitney.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.