Pratt Wins New F135 Purchasing Contract

Pratt & Whitney has drawn a new Pentagon with a maximum value of $230.56 million for purchasing materials in advance of production of F135 engines for Lot 20 of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The complete order for Lot 20 calls for “138 propulsion systems,” for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, non-U.S. Dept. of Defense F-35 program partners, and Foreign Military Sales customers.

The scope of procurement covers long lead time materials, parts, components, and efforts “necessary to protect the F135 Lot 20 propulsion system delivery schedule,” according to a Pentagon statement.

The procurement activities will be conducted at multiple Pratt & Whitney operations across the U.S., in Connecticut, Indiana, Washington, Maine, California, and other U.S. states. Procurement will be ongoing through May 2031.

The F135 is an afterburning turbofan engine for the single-engine Joint Strike Fighter jets. Currently, Pratt is carrying out an Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) project to improve the propulsion system capabilities for all three variants of the F135 engine, in anticipation of the U.S. Dept. of Defense’s larger plan to upgrade all three F-35 aircraft models to incorporate more sensor and weapons technologies and electronic warfare capabilities.

The F-35 is a series of fighter jets deployed for ground attack and combat, and available in three variants – for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and for the defense forces of more than a dozen other nations.

Eleven months ago the Pentagon began funding long-lead time procurement by Lockheed Martin, the lead contractor for the F-35, as it began production planning for Lot 20.

Lots 20 and 21 will incorporate the various hardware and software updates planned as part of the F-35 Block 4 update – which will introduce more than 80 improved capabilities meant to keep the F-35 competitive against emerging threats, including improved sensors, sensor fusion, and expanded weapon capabilities. The current stage of the process is referred to as the Technology Refresh 3, which involves new data processors and expanded memory for enhanced mission processing, targeting, navigation, and communications.