Pratt & Whitney F135 Certified to Power Lightning II's
First Flight
Its time for noise... really great
noise. Pratt & Whitney has certified its F135 engine to power
the Lightning II's first flight later this year after successfully
completing all tests scheduled to date. The F135 has achieved
Initial Flight Release from the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO).
Robert Burnes, JPO F-35 propulsion director, has declared all F135
tests and verification reports complete, clearing the F-35
Lightning II to fly.
The JPO has certified the F135's flight worthiness to power the
F-35 Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) flight test program.
"Receiving the JPO's Initial Flight Release is an important
milestone for the Joint Strike Fighter program and the F135 team.
JPO approval qualifies the Pratt & Whitney engine to power the
Lightning II first flight and flight test program," said Bill
Gostic, vice president, F135 engine programs for Pratt &
Whitney. "It validates the F135 production configuration."
Pratt & Whitney is the lead propulsion system supplier for
the F-35 program. The F-35 recently completed its first series of
F135 engine runs culminating in a full afterburner test with 40,000
pounds of thrust. The F135 engine is on schedule to begin taxi
testing this fall.
The technologically advanced F135 is an evolution of Pratt &
Whitney's highly successful F119 engine for the F-22 Raptor.
Together the F135 and F119 will have logged more than 800,000
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.
The F135 propulsion system team consists of Pratt & Whitney,
the prime contractor with responsibility for the main engine and
system integration; Rolls-Royce of the United Kingdom, providing
lift components for the STOVL F-35B; and UTC's Hamilton Sundstrand
unit, provider of the F135's control system, external accessories
and gearbox.
In addition to the F135 engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
and the F119 powering the F-22 Raptor, Pratt & Whitney military
engine models include the F117 for the C-17 Globemaster III; F100
for F-15 and F-16 fighters; J52 for the EA-6B Prowler; TF33
powering AWACS, Joint STARS, B-52, and KC-135 aircraft; TF30 for
the F-111, PT6 for T-6A and UH-1N aircraft; and JT15 for the T-1A
trainer and Pegasus UCAV.