Pratt & Whitney delivered the first F135 lot 3 production engine for the F-35 strike fighter program last week. The engines in this batch incorporate modifications and improvements based on F-35 flight testing. “Delivery of our 21st production engine is a significant milestone for the F-35 program, as we continue to deliver a more mature and capable F135 engine to meet the evolving needs of the warfighter,” said Bennett Croswell, Pratt’s vice president of F135/F119 engine programs, in the company’s release. “In doing so, we continue reducing costs to produce a more affordable and reliable product for our customers.” Pratt wants to be the sole supplier of F-35 engines, but a General Electric-Rolls Royce team is fighting Pentagon efforts to kill its F136 as a competing option. (See also Pratt Responds on F135 Quality from the Daily Report archives.)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.