Fri, Aug 10, 2007
Pratt & Whitney tells ANN that
they have completed a series of crosswind validation tests for the
F135 short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) engine at its test
facility in West Palm Beach, Florida.
A Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6 turboprop engine was used to
simulate crosswinds of up to 35 knots (40 mph) across the inlet of
the lift fan as the F135 propulsion system simulated flying in
STOVL mode at power settings up to full power.
"Completion of the tests confirm that the Pratt & Whitney
F135 STOVL engine will perform as required in crosswind conditions
while in the power lift, hover mode," said Bill Gostic, vice
president, Pratt & Whitney F135 Programs.
"This testing is a significant risk reduction step on the path
to first flight of the F-35 STOVL aircraft in May 2008."
This evaluation is part of the lift fan inlet flow angularity
test program conducted in partnership with Lockheed Martin and
Rolls-Royce. This simulated aircraft inlet was designed to enable
engineers to evaluate inlet characteristics and its interaction
with the F135 propulsion system. The crosswind validation test is
one of a series of milestones for the F135 propulsion system. Pratt
& Whitney's F135 recently surpassed 8,000 system development
and demonstration (SDD) ground test hours and continues to power
the flight test program with 19 flight tests to date and more than
20 flight test hours.
Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine is an evolution of the F119
engine for the F-22 Raptor; together the F135 and F119 will have
logged more than 600,000 hours before the F-35's introduction into
operational service in 2012. Rated at more than 40,000 pounds of
thrust, the F135 is the most powerful fighter engine ever
built.
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