Members of the J-2 test team at the Arnold Engineering Development Center on the grounds of Arnold AFB, Tenn., have set a record by running a Pratt & Whitney F135 engine continuously for 52.5 hours, the longest period that this engine type has run uninterrupted. The team accomplished this feat while conducting altitude-performance and qualification tests of the F135, which is one of the two powerplants currently under development for the F-35 strike fighter. The qualification testing had to do with the initial service release of the F135 engines that will be used in the Air Force’s F-35A aircraft and the Navy’s F-35C carrier variant. (Arnold report by Janae’ Daniels)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.