Pratt & Whitney has begun production on the first F100-PW-229 engine enhancement package (EEP), which a March 26 company release says is the latest evolution in the F100 series that powers F-15 and F-16 fighters. Warren Boley, vice president of P&W Military Programs and Customer Support, calls it another example of the company’s “pioneering work in fighter engine technology.” Boley added that the EEP offers “superior performance” and “reduces maintenance and life cycle costs at a time when value and efficiency are top priorities on the nation’s agenda.” P&W plans to begin delivery of the new configuration in October and upgrade kits for existing -229 engines by the end of 2010. The EEP increases the depot inspection interval from 4,300 cycles to 6,000 cycles and provides increased key component durability. Boley said that USAF and several other operators of the F100-PW-229 engine “have expressed interest in having upgrade kits to modify their existing engines.”
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.