Pratt & Whitney announced April 27 that its F119 engine, the power behind the only fielded fifth-generation fighter—the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor—has surpassed 100,000 operational flight hours of service. “With more than 100,000 operational flight hours, the F119 engine is truly a proven and mature fifth-generation engine,” said Tyler Evans, P&W’s F119 program director. Evans noted that the “flight experience we have on the F119 will deliver built-in maturity for the F135 engine, the lead propulsion system on the F-35 Lightning II,” Lockheed’s stealthy strike fighter. P&W currently produces the only F-35 engine, but Congress has repeatedly pressed the Pentagon to continue with an alternative engine, the F136 being developed by General Electric.
We looked back on the past 12 months to find the stories that resonated the most with you, our audience, and these 10 topped the list. Maybe you missed one the first time around, or perhaps you’d like to revisit a favorite.