Lots 15 and 16, $5.2 Billion
Pratt & Whitney has been awarded a contract, valued at US$5.2 billion, to support production of the F135 engine for Lots 15 and 16, with an option for Lot 17, the company announced on 6 March.
The contract funds production of 278 F135 engines, with an option to order up to a total of 518, and includes program management, engineering support, production support and tooling. The total contract value for lots 15-17 with exercised options approximates $8 billion, funding 418 F135 engines, which powers all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft, with options for the US and international customers.
“This marks a major milestone for the program,” said Jen Latka, Pratt & Whitney’s VP for the F135 Program. “This contract award enables us to continue delivering critical 5th-generation propulsion capability to the warfighter, at a fair and reasonable cost for the taxpayer.” Since program inception, the company’s ‘war on cost’ efforts have reduced the average unit cost of an F135 by over 50%, contributing to an estimated $8.1 billion in cumulative engine savings over the programme’s life. Pratt & Whitney has worked aggressively to drive production efficiencies, optimise its supply base and invest in strategic initiatives — such as the new turbine airfoil facility in Asheville, NC — to reduce cost wherever possible.
Evolved from the F119 engine powering the F-22 Raptor, the F135 is the most powerful and most advanced fighter engine in the world, delivering a step change in capability over the previous generation of engines. This includes a substantial increase in thermal management capacity, enabling the full spectrum of F-35 weapons and sensor capabilities; a precise and responsive integrated engine control system, allowing the pilot to focus on the mission; and an unmatched low observable signature, enabling the F-35 to conduct operations in modern Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2AD) environments.
The F135 programme is a major driver of economic growth in the US, supporting over 53,000 jobs across 36 states.
