The U.S. Dept. of Defense issued a new, $256.3-million contract modification to Pratt and Whitney Military Engines to expand procurement for advanced long-lead materials for F135 propulsion systems. The F135 is the afterburning turbofan engine for the single-engine F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets.
The contract modification specifies the materials to be sourced will be F135 system spare parts, for depot lay-in material, the F-35 global spares pool, and country-unique spares for all three variants of the fighters supplied to the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and the 19 other allied defense forces that are part of the F-35 program.
The new award is expected to cover procurement activity through December 2029. Nearly all of the activity will be centered at Pratt & Whitney locations in Connecticut, but other sites in the U.S. and overseas will be involved too.
The initial contract with Pratt & Whitney was issued in September 2020, and modified several times in subsequent years. For example, a $670-million modification was issued last September for sourcing F135 spares.
More than 1,300 F-35 fighter jets are in service with 12 nations. The current production lot - Lot 18 - will encompass 148 aircraft, as will the following lot.
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 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.
