Pratt & Whitney says its F100-PW-229 engine, relied on by the United States and four international air forces, is pretty well battle-proven now, having logged 500,000 engine flight hours.
More than 700 F100-PW-229s are in service, powering Boeing F-15E and Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighter aircraft for the United States, Israel, Korea, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
"We reached the half million flight hour mark worldwide in April," says Dennis Enos, director of operational combat programmes.
"At this milestone, the engine and all its metrics are doing very well. Our customers and we have good reason to be pleased with the -229's safety, flight readiness and spares availability."
Based on USAF Safety Center data, the F100-PW-229 is the safest engine for single-engine fighters in US Air Force history. Spare engine availability has been above target in the USAF fleet for over a year.
In the nine years it has been flying, the F100-PW-229 has benefited from evolutionary changes.
For example, today's F100-PW-229 has a fifth generation Digital Electronic Engine Control, as well as new cooling technologies, materials and coatings. Recently, Israel decided to buy 50 F100-PW-229-powered F-16I aircraft, with an option for 60 more; the Republic of Korea again selected the F100-STW-229 for its purchase of 20 more F-16 aircraft; and Greece selected the F100-PW-229 to power its new procurement of 50 F-16 aircraft.
Source: Flight Daily News
