Engine Offered As Second Option For F-35 Lightning II

The GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team told attendees this week in Farnborough it recently completed Short Take Off, Vertical Landing (STOVL) testing on an F136 engine at GE testing facility at Peebles, OH. The team is developing the F136 as an alternative powerplant for all variants of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the US military and eight partner nations.

Officials say all test objectives were reached as planned in the Peebles testing as the engine was configured in a variety of modes, leading to STOVL testing with common hardware systems for the F-35. Testing also included the advanced controls architecture, which was demonstrated successfully in closed-loop mode operation. This important milestone was reached with the controls system developed under the Fighter Engine Team’s ongoing System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract.

The Fighter Engine Team’s recent tests were conducted with F136 engines originally produced during the pre-SDD contract. Since then, the powerplants have been updated with new fan, augmentor and controls technology designed during the SDD process.

"These successful tests demonstrate the continued dedication of the Fighter Engine Team to meet its deadlines and stay within budget, while we press forward to deliver our production-configuration engine in a matter of months. Our Peebles test site is unique and allowed the F136 test engine to be put through its paces in all F-35 configurations," said Jean Lydon-Rodgers, President of the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team.

"The F136 was designed and developed from the beginning to meet the robust requirements for STOVL variants of the F-35 Lightning II. We successfully demonstrated our advanced technology during these recent tests. The design will also allow affordable growth in future, as well as lower maintenance costs," said Mark Rhodes, Senior Vice President of the Fighter Engine Team.

The first full SDD engine is scheduled to begin testing in early 2009, with first flight in the F-35 to follow in 2010.

The pre-SDD engines have totaled more than 700 hours of test time, contributing significantly to risk reduction in the program. The testing has included multiple simulated flying conditions, at high-altitude and sea-level, with full afterburner and STOVL operations.

GE - Aviation is developing the core compressor and coupled high-pressure/low-pressure turbine system components, controls and accessories, and the augmentor. Rolls-Royce is responsible for the front fan, combustor, stages 2 and 3 of the low-pressure turbine, and gearboxes. International participant countries are also contributing to the F136 through involvement in engine development and component manufacturing.

FMI: www.geae.com, www.rolls-royce.com