Air Force leaders and industry officials have long extolled the benefits of additive manufacturing, promising a future where maintainers use 3D printing technology to manufacture replacement parts faster than they can be shipped across the world. Now, a small group of engineers, technicians, and machinists are ...
Aircraft Propulsion
Pratt & Whitney received a $1.31 billion contract Sept. 30 to continue development of the F135 Engine Core Upgrade for the F-35 fighter. The program passed Preliminary Design Review in July, and, barring any problems, will go into Critical Design Review within a year.
There are a lot of new demands on the government-industry propulsion enterprise—ranging from exquisite new fighter engines to cheap, off-the-shelf powerplants for drones—that will require sustained support, experts said.
Pratt & Whitney's F100 engine debuted in 1972 and continues to power F-15 and F-16 jets for the U.S. Air Force and allied militaries around the globe. Josh Goodman, who leads the F100 program at Pratt & Whitney, and Nick “JDAM” Graham, a former U.S. ...
The Air Force will soon award study contracts for prototype engines to power Collaborative Combat Aircraft. But the service insists it is leaving the door open to a wide range of options and thrust classes.
Pratt & Whitney and the F-35 Joint Program Office have completed the preliminary design review of the Engine Core Upgrade of the fighter’s F135 engine, the company said this week, adding that the ECU is “on schedule and exceeding expectations.” Pratt is a subsidiary of ...
The Air Force will likely award a contract or contracts for the first increment of Collaborative Combat Aircraft in late September or early October, sources familiar with the program said. It’s not yet been decided if the Air Force will carry one or both of ...
An Air Force pilot was at the controls when an F-35B in short takeoff mode crashed at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., on May 29. The pilot ejected and suffered serious injuries but is in stable condition.
Brig. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey, or whoever succeeds him as the Department of the Air Force’s top acquisition official for command, control, and communications/battle management, is poised to take command of the new Air Force Information Dominance Systems Center. The service will also establish a program ...