Pratt & Whitney,
EAST HARTFORD: Pratt & Whitney's F135 short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) propulsion system powered the F-35B Lightning II's first flight test today in Fort Worth, Texas. The successful flight took place at 11:17 a.m. and lasted for approximately 51 minutes. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company.
“Powering the first flight of the F-35 STOVL aircraft is a momentous event for the F135 team,” said Bill Gostic, Pratt & Whitney vice president, F135 engine programs. “This is a critical milestone for the STOVL flight test program, and brings us a step closer to production and getting the STOVL aircraft into the hands of our customers.”
In talking about the F135 propulsion system powering the F-35 Lightning II, Test Pilot Graham Tomlinson said, “It's a big engine, and everyone likes to fly big engines.”
This milestone is one of many recent achievements for Pratt & Whitney's F135 propulsion system. On May 25, Pratt & Whitney completed STOVL ground tests demonstrating the aircraft's ability to convert between horizontal and vertical flight. On May 14, Pratt & Whitney received a statement of qualification for the F135 STOVL propulsion system from the F-35 Joint Program Office, which certifies the F135-PW-600 STOVL propulsion system for flight operations. The F135 has previously completed sea level testing and accelerated mission testing for endurance and durability qualification.
The F135 engine has exceeded 9,900 test hours in the system development and demonstration ground test program and the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) engine continues to power the F-35 Lightning II flight test program with 43 flights and more than 51 flight test hours to date.
Rated at more than 40,000 pounds of thrust, the F135 is the most powerful fighter engine ever built. The technologically advanced F135 is an evolution of the highly successful F119 engine for the F-22 Raptor. By the time the F-35 enters operation in 2013, the F119 engines will have logged more than 600,000 flight hours and the F135 will have completed more than 16,000 test hours. These achievements will provide maturity and the associated reliability to the F135 engine.
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, provides lift components for the STOVL F-35B; and UTC's Hamilton Sundstrand unit is the provider of the engine control system and gearbox.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.
