Wed, May 21, 2008
Cleared For 'Up-And-Away' Flight Ops
Pratt & Whitney recently received a statement of
qualification for the F135 short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL)
propulsion system from the F-35 Joint Program Office. This
statement clears Pratt & Whitney's F135-PW-600 STOVL propulsion
system for up-and-away flight operations.
"This certification letter is a step on the critical path to
flying the aircraft and brings us closer to powering the first
flight of the F-35 Lightning II STOVL variant this spring," said
Bill Gostic, Pratt & Whitney vice president, F135 engine
programs.
The F135-PW-600 STOVL propulsion system includes lift system
components designed by Rolls-Royce and integrated into the STOVL
propulsion system by Pratt & Whitney.
Though not without its share of
difficulties, the F135 program has recently cleared a
series of milestones -- including sea level testing and accelerated
mission testing for endurance and durability qualification. Pratt
& Whitney notes the F135 has exceeded 9,800 test hours in the
system development and demonstration ground test program and the
conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) engine continues to power
the F-35 Lightning II flight test program with 40 flights and more
than 49 flight test hours to date.
Rated at more than 40,000 pounds of thrust, the F135 is the most
powerful fighter engine ever built. The F135 is an evolution of the
F119 engine for the F-22 Raptor. By the time the F-35 enters
operation in 2013, the F119 engines will have logged more than
600,000 flight hours and the F135 will have completed more than
16,000 flight hours.
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