F-135 engine on F-35 stealth jet

In one of the biggest engine orders to date, Pratt and Whitney has been awarded $3,239,028,961 for the production and delivery of 233 propulsion systems that will go into F-35 stealth fighter jets meant for US forces and international customers.

The contract which is a modification to a previous contract, provides for the production and delivery of 56 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the United States Air Force; 10 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the Navy; 24 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for the Marine Corps; 125 F135-PW-100 and 18 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers,, a US DoD announcement said.

The propulsion systems will go into F-35A, F-35B (meant for the Marine Corps) and the F-35C (carrier version of the F-35. F-35 sales to international customers are on roll; recent large sales include one for over 100 jets to Japan.

Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (67 percent); Indianapolis, Indiana (26.5 percent); and Bristol, United Kingdom (6.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2022.

Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); and FMS funds in the amount of $793,133,424 will be obligated at time of award. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($619,293,241; 19 percent); Marine Corps ($627,306,799; 19 percent); Navy ($117,569,123; 4 percent); non-DoD participants ($1,234,417,345; 38 percent); and FMS customers ($640,442,453; 20 percent).