The US Navy has awarded RTX subsidiary Pratt & Whitney an approximately $1.6-billion contract for support of the F135 engines, which power the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
The deal covers recurring sustainment support, program management, propulsion integration, replenishment spare parts, Joint Technical Data updates, and related support at both the unit and depot levels.
In addition, it includes training personnel and operators on how to work with, maintain, and support the entire F-35 propulsion system.
The work will take place across multiple locations, with the largest portion occurring in East Hartford, Connecticut, which will handle 40 percent of the effort.
Additional work will be based in Oklahoma, Indiana, and Florida in the US.
International sites will include Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Italy, and the UK, with all tasks scheduled for completion by November 2026.
“F-35 operators worldwide depend on the F135 for the power and performance their missions demand, and this award helps us maintain readiness rates that enable the warfighter to accomplish their critical missions,” said Kinda Eastwood, vice president of F135 Sustainment at Pratt & Whitney.
Powering America’s Military Aircraft
Pratt & Whitney is most known for developing and producing the F135 engine for the F-35, as well as the engines for the F-15 Eagle, C-17 Globemaster III, and various US military helicopters.
Moreover, it is developing a new propulsion system for the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program drones, in which uncrewed aircraft are set to fly alongside crewed combat jets as “loyal wingmen.”
The RTX subsidiary is also developing the XA103 engine for the US Air Force’s Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion using digital engineering tools.
