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Pratt & Whitney's First F135 Development Engine for JSF Achieves Military Power In Production Configuration

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., October 27, 2003 – Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has successfully tested its first F135 development engine in the production configuration for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to military power, ahead of schedule.

Military power, also known as intermediate power, is equivalent to the engine running at full power without the use of the afterburner. The tests were performed at P&W’s advanced test facilities in West Palm Beach, Fla. All the data gathered showed the engine performed as expected and ran well.

"Running at military power is a key milestone, especially because it has been done on budget and ahead of schedule," said Rob Burnes, F135 program director for the JSF Joint Program Office. "The high quality test data we are getting gives us great confidence in this system development and demonstration program. Congratulations to the F135 team on a successful kickoff for our five-year testing program. This is the kind of performance we have come to expect from them."

“We are extremely pleased with the way the F135 has performed so far,” said Bill Gostic, Director, F135 Engine Programs, P&W. “I am very proud of our team and salute their hard work and the latest accomplishment in a string of great achievements as we lead the propulsion system development activity for the Joint Strike Fighter.”

The F135 Propulsion System Team consists of Pratt & Whitney, the prime contractor with responsibility for the main engine and system integration; Hamilton Sundstrand, provider of the F135’s control system, external accessories and gearbox; and Rolls-Royce, providing the Rolls-Royce LiftFanTM, 3 Bearing Swivel Module and Roll Posts to the STOVL (Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing) F-35B. The F135 is an evolution of the F119 engine powering the F/A-22 Raptor. The F135 will power all three variants of the F-35 -- CTOL (Conventional Take Off/Landing), CV (Carrier Variant) and STOVL -- with production deliveries beginning in 2008.

Among the aircraft the F-35 will replace are the AV-8B Harrier, A-10, F-16, F/A-18 and the United Kingdom’s Harrier GR.7 and Sea Harrier.

Pratt & Whitney military engines are built and supported in facilities located in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Oklahoma, and Texas. Models include the F119 powering the F/A-22 Raptor; the F135 for the Joint Strike Fighter; the F117 for the C-17 Globemaster III; the F100 for the F-15 and F-16 fighters; the J52 for the EA-6B Prowler; the TF-33 powering AWACS, Joint STARS, B-52, C-141 and KC-135 aircraft; the PT6 for the T-6A, C-12, T-34C and UH-1N aircraft; and the JT15 for the T-1A, US-35A, and the Pegasus UCAV.

Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies company (NYSE: UTX), is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines.

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