EAST HARTFORD, Conn., March 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX) business, announced today that it has been awarded a $5.2 billion contract to support production of the 15th and 16th lots of F135 engines, with an option to award a 17th Lot, powering all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft.
“This marks a major milestone for the program,” said Jen Latka, Pratt & Whitney’s vice president for the F135 program.
Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX) business, announced today that it has been awarded a $5.3 billion contract to support production of the 15th and 16th lots of F135 engines, with an option to award a 17th Lot, powering all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft.
The Lots 15-17 production contract funds production of 278 F135 engines with an option to order up to a total of 518 engines. The contract also includes program management, engineering support, production support and tooling. The total contract value for lots 15-17, with exercised options, is approximately $8 billion and will fund over 418 F135 engines with options for the U.S. as well as international customers.
“This marks a major milestone for the program,” said Jen Latka, Pratt & Whitney’s vice president for the F135 program. “This contract award enables us to continue delivering critical 5th Generation propulsion capability to the warfighter at a fair and reasonable cost for the taxpayer.”
Since program inception, Pratt & Whitney’s “war on cost” efforts have reduced the average unit cost of an F135 by more than 50 percent, contributing to an estimated $8.1 billion in cumulative engine savings over the life of the program.
Pratt & Whitney worked aggressively to drive production efficiencies, optimize its supply base as well as invest in strategic initiatives — such as the new turbine airfoil facility in Asheville, North Carolina — to reduce cost wherever possible.
Evolved from the F119 engine powering the F-22 Raptor, the F135 is the most powerful and most advanced fighter engine in the world, delivering a step change in capability over the previous generation of engines. This includes a substantial increase in thermal management capacity enabling the full spectrum of F-35 weapons and sensor capabilities; a precise and responsive integrated engine control system allowing the pilot to focus squarely on the mission; and an unmatched low observable signature enabling the F-35 to conduct operations in modern Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2AD) environments.
The F135 program is a major driver of economic growth around the country, supporting more than 53,000 jobs across 36 states.
As of December 2022, Pratt & Whitney has delivered more than 1,000 F135 production engines.
About Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. To learn more visit www.prattwhitney.com. To receive press releases and other news directly, please sign up here.
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