House Armed Serviced Committee Breathes New Life Into Embattled
Program
The full U.S. House Armed Services Committee (HASC) voted
Wednesday on a National Defense Authorization Bill that includes
$485 million in continued funding for the GE/Rolls-Royce F136
engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
In a news release, GE and Rolls-Royce say that by authorizing
funding in fiscal year 2011 for the F136 the Committee strongly
endorsed an annual, head-to-head competition to the F-35 propulsion
system, which avoids a decades-long, $100 billion engine monopoly
being handed to a sole-source provider.
HASC Subcommittee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) today emphasized
that “the Pentagon’s own study on F-35 engine options
indicated it would cost no more to reduce operational risk and
achieve the benefits of a competitive engine program, than to fund
a sole source engine program.”
Ranking HASC member Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) said today he
was pleased the bill included “funding necessary to continue
development for an alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter.
Competition is warranted and critical and costs nothing more
according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).”
The GAO recently estimated that competition between the two
F-35 engine makers could lead to long-term savings of up to 21
percent for the $100 billion engine program.
For 15 years, a bipartisan Congress has supported and funded the
GE/Rolls-Royce engine to preserve competition on the largest
weapons procurement program in history. Competing engines have been
an integral component of the JSF program from its inception, and
competitive behavior has proven to control costs. But the program
has not been without controversy. President Obama threatened to
veto last years Defense Appropriations bill if the F136 engine was
included, but eventually signed the FY2010 bill with the funding in
place. Some analysts say the HASC is challenging the President by
including the engine funding again for next year.
GE/Rolls-Royce also says that the action is consistent with the
mandate of the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009,
signed by President Obama, which calls for competition throughout
the life cycle of major weapon systems programs – including
funding of competing sources. Competition, a consistent theme in
the Reform Act, is highlighted 20 times.
“We applaud the HASC action today,” said David
Joyce, president and CEO of GE Aviation. “Given the enormity
of the JSF program, competing engines on the aircraft is the best
way to put the acquisition reform act into action. With the growing
concern over cost overruns in defense programs, competition
continues to be the best cost-control mechanism.”
In the news release, GE/Rolls-Royce says the Pratt & Whitney
F135 development for JSF is estimated to grow 50 percent beyond its
original contract, from $4.8 billion to $7.3 billion, according to
a recent report from the GAO, adding, “F135 engine
development cost increases primarily resulted from higher costs for
labor and materials, supplier problems, and the rework needed to
correct deficiencies with an engine blade during
re-design.”
F136 engine development is being led at GE Aviation in Evendale,
Ohio (Cincinnati suburb), and at Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis,
Indiana.