House and Senate defense authorizers have reportedly agreed in conference to authorize funds for the General Electric-Rolls Royce F136 engine in Fiscal 2010, going against the urgings of the White House to kill the engine project and proceed with only Pratt & Whitney’s F135 for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Hill reported this Tuesday, citing several sources familiar with this decision as the conference reaches its final stages. According to the newspaper, the conferees settled on approving $560 million for the F136 program in 2010, with these funds being in addition to the baseline F-35 budget and not drawn from it. This is the same amount that the House had included in its version of the defense authorization bill. The Senate had not included funds for the F136 in its version of the policy bill.
The Department of the Air Force wants to launch a construction boom with its fiscal 2027 budget, more than doubling its request over 2026, according to budget documents.