Pratt & Whitney and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) announced 5 February that they have "reached an agreement in principle" for a fifth lot of F135 engines for the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter.
"Reaching this agreement is fair and beneficial to the government and Pratt & Whitney," says Lt Gen Chris Bogdan, F-35 programme executive officer. "Engine prices have decreased and I appreciate everyone's commitment to drive cost out of the program. This will help us to deliver on the promise of the F-35 to three US services and all the nations partnered with us."
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Chris Flynn, Pratt & Whitney's vice president for the F135 programme, says, "We are focused on ensuring the long-term success of the F-35 program by delivering on our production commitments, and we will continue to keep the momentum in driving down F135 engine costs."
The deal covers 32 engines to power 22 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A model jets for the US Air Force, seven F-35C aircraft for the US Navy and three short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft for the US Marine Corps. Included in the deal are also three spare engines along with other spare parts and engineering support.
"Financial details will be announced when the formal contract is complete," the JPO says.
Pratt & Whitney has delivered 87 production F135 engines thus far.
Source: Flight International
