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The F136 Fighter Engine Team Ready to 'Lift' Off in 2005

February 03, 2005

General Electric Company has successfully completed assembly and installation in the test rig of its first F136 Short Takeoff Vertical Landing (STOVL) test engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program. The engine is slated to begin ground testing this month at GE's outdoor test facility in Peebles, Ohio, USA.

Bob Griswold, president of the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team, LLC said: "Approximately 300 hours of testing are planned, and this will include primary control integration, durability screening testing, time at temperature, and thrust measurements. Testing is targeted to conclude in May 2005."

Tom Hartmann, senior vice president of the Fighter Engine Team, stated: "The F136 will be fully interchangeable and affordable to meet the requirements of all aircraft variants. The F136 STOVL engine has been specifically designed to power the F-35B JSF, which has been selected by the United States Marine Corps and the United Kingdom Royal Navy and Air Force."

The first STOVL engine test follows in the footsteps of the first F136 CTOL engine, which effectively completed testing in December 2004 at the GE's facility in Evendale, Ohio. Testing on this engine included engine performance assessment, fan risk reduction, fan stalls, and initial closed loop control demonstration. It successfully demonstrated smooth starts, throttle transients, stall free operation, low vibration levels and included a run to 105% max design speed. Additional testing resumed in January 2005.

Note for Editors The Direct Lift + LiftFanTM STOVL engine system uses the common turbomachinery of the F136 Conventional Take Off Landing (CTOL) engine and adds a drive shaft, clutch, 2-stage counter rotating LiftFanTM (for forward "cool" vertical thrust), roll-posts in the wings, (for "cool" roll control thrust), and a 3-Bearing Swivel Duct (for aft "hot" vertical thrust). This commonality lends itself well to the F-35 due to the need for affordability, interchangeability, and readiness and is designed to meet all of the customer's Key Performance Parameters (KPPs).

GE Transportation - Aircraft Engines, with responsibility for 60 percent of the F136 program, is developing the core compressor and coupled high pressure/low pressure turbine system components, controls and accessories, and the augmentor. Rolls-Royce, with 40 percent of the F136 program, is responsible for the front fan, combustor, stages 2 and 3 of the low-pressure turbine, and gearboxes. International partner countries are also contributing to the F136 through involvement in engine development and component manufacturing.