Forum: F-35 Lightning II

Pratt & Whitney Awarded $1.12Bn Contract for F135 Engine from US DoD
Our Bureau Thu, Jan 5, 2012

http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defensen ... 20US%20DoD

" The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Pratt & Whitney an undefinitized contract award (UCA) not to exceed $1,122,306,649 for F135 production engines to power the F-35 Lightning II.

Pratt & Whitney and the DoD have reached a tentative agreement on key terms for the low rate initial production (LRIP) 5 contract which contains fixed-price and cost-plus incentive fee elements.

A total of $358,597,078 is being obligated at time of award, in addition to the $138,800,000 obligated in 2011 for advanced acquisition materials.

This LRIP contract includes production engines, spare parts, program management, engineering support for production, sustainment and field support for the F135 engines.

"This UCA is a vital step to allow Pratt & Whitney and our STOVL lift system partner, Rolls-Royce, to continue meeting key milestones toward LRIP 5 production deliveries," said Bennett Croswell, president of Military Engines, Pratt & Whitney. "We anticipate contract negotiations with the F-35 Joint Program Office that will reflect the great progress being made on F135 affordability." The fifth lot of engines includes 21 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) engines for the U.S. Air Force; six carrier variant (CV) engines for the U.S. Navy; and three short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) propulsion systems for the U.S. Marine Corps. The engines in LRIP 5 will support the U.S. Services with main engine deliveries slated to begin in late-2012.

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$37.333 million per engine if its extrapolated out across the 30 units, not that they all cost the same. The price is getting better, but its a reminder how expensive the F-35 program really is.

"This LRIP contract includes production engines, spare parts, program management, engineering support for production, sustainment and field support for the F135 engines."

madrat wrote:

$37.333 million per engine if its extrapolated out across the 30 units, not that they all cost the same. The price is getting better, but its a reminder how expensive the F-35 program really is.

"This undefinitized modification provides for the Lot V Low Rate Initial Production of 21 F135 Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) Propulsion Systems for the Air Force; 3 Short Take-off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) Propulsion Systems for the Marine Corps; and 6 Carrier Variant (CV) Propulsion Systems for the Navy. In addition, this modification provides for production non-recurring effort, non-recurring autonomic logistics effort and recurring sustainment effort for the U.S. Services and Cooperative Partner Participants."

"This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($520,650,335; 46.3 percent); Marine Corps ($387,099,090; 34.5 percent); Navy ($166,710,445; 14.9 percent); and the Cooperative Partner Participants ($47,846,779; 4.3 percent)."

http://www.defense.gov//contracts/contr ... actid=4693

Comes to:

CTOL = $24,792,873 each
STOVL = $129,033,030 each
CV = $27,785,074 each

maus92 wrote:

madrat wrote:

$37.333 million per engine if its extrapolated out across the 30 units, not that they all cost the same. The price is getting better, but its a reminder how expensive the F-35 program really is.

"This undefinitized modification provides for the Lot V Low Rate Initial Production of 21 F135 Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) Propulsion Systems for the Air Force; 3 Short Take-off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) Propulsion Systems for the Marine Corps; and 6 Carrier Variant (CV) Propulsion Systems for the Navy. In addition, this modification provides for production non-recurring effort, non-recurring autonomic logistics effort and recurring sustainment effort for the U.S. Services and Cooperative Partner Participants."

"This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($520,650,335; 46.3 percent); Marine Corps ($387,099,090; 34.5 percent); Navy ($166,710,445; 14.9 percent); and the Cooperative Partner Participants ($47,846,779; 4.3 percent)."

http://www.defense.gov//contracts/contr ... actid=4693

Comes to:

CTOL = $24,792,873 each
STOVL = $129,033,030 each
CV = $27,785,074 each

Yes. But as SPAZ said. "This LRIP contract includes production engines, spare parts, program management, engineering support for production, sustainment and field support for the F135 engines."

It's not just the engine.

TSFG

thestealthfighterguy wrote:

maus92 wrote:

madrat wrote:

$37.333 million per engine if its extrapolated out across the 30 units, not that they all cost the same. The price is getting better, but its a reminder how expensive the F-35 program really is.

"This undefinitized modification provides for the Lot V Low Rate Initial Production of 21 F135 Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) Propulsion Systems for the Air Force; 3 Short Take-off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) Propulsion Systems for the Marine Corps; and 6 Carrier Variant (CV) Propulsion Systems for the Navy. In addition, this modification provides for production non-recurring effort, non-recurring autonomic logistics effort and recurring sustainment effort for the U.S. Services and Cooperative Partner Participants."

"This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($520,650,335; 46.3 percent); Marine Corps ($387,099,090; 34.5 percent); Navy ($166,710,445; 14.9 percent); and the Cooperative Partner Participants ($47,846,779; 4.3 percent)."

http://www.defense.gov//contracts/contr ... actid=4693

Comes to:

CTOL = $24,792,873 each
STOVL = $129,033,030 each
CV = $27,785,074 each

Yes. But as SPAZ said. "This LRIP contract includes production engines, spare parts, program management, engineering support for production, sustainment and field support for the F135 engines."

It's not just the engine.

TSFG

Yep, hence the reason for the bolded sentence. I am curious why the -B engine and liftfan is 5 times the cost of the others.

maus92 wrote:

I am curious why the -B engine and liftfan is 5 times the cost of the others.

The F135-PW-600 is a 'propulsion system' comprised of the engine from PW, and the LiftSystem by RR.

So not only does it include the 'base' engine, it includes;

LiftFan
Clutch
Drive-shaft
Roll-Posts and associated hardware
Three Bearing Swivel Module

Not to mention far less of the -600 have been produced, not as many WILL be procured, and therefor contractors will likely charge a higher amount on the limited production to cover costs that won't be off-set by a large/numerous order.

(See also pictures, more engine parts = more $$)

Keep 'em flyin' Thumb

TEG

That_Engine_Guy wrote:

So not only does it include the 'base' engine, it includes;

LiftFan
Clutch
Drive-shaft
Roll-Posts and associated hardware
Three Bearing Swivel Module

Also more electronics to control & monitor it. And the cost of developing the STOVL mode portion of the plane's main computer's programming could also be separated from the costs of developing the rest of the software and combined with the propulsion system costs, although it might not be.

Also, note that there are auxilliary air intake doors. Even if they are not considered a part of the propulsion system themselves, their presence implies that a higher air flow rate into the engine is needed in STOVL mode. That, in turn, could (although I'm not sure) call for some differences in the operation of the compressor and/or engine core for the higher flow rate, and, since the carbon-oxygen ratio in the basic reaction doesn't change, it also implies a higher fuel delivery rate, which would then require a higher-capacity fuel delivery system.

As far as the engine is concerned and PW getting a contract, it would not include the intake doors or flight control software.

There is the extra code in the engine's FADEC accommodating the STOVL portion of the operating envelope, but the directional or flight path inputs would be made by the flight control software.

Like I've said in other posts, the operating condition of the engine is altered when the additional demand is placed on it for STO or VL needs. When bleeding air, loosing HP to the LiftFan, and having increased back-pressure from the angled 3BSN, the motor works harder. The FADEC code is programmed to handle this.

The engine's FADEC should respond to the request for more/less power, but not actual flight control inputs. Those inputs should be given directly to the LiftFan, roll post, and 3BSN system. I'm guessing these are seperated from the basic function of the FADEC controlling engine operation, for directional control. Even the 2 and 3 dimensional nozzles of other aircraft/engines had a basic area function that was controlled by the engine's computer, where the directional effort of the nozzle was controlled by the aircraft's flight control logic software (airframe code). They were segregated channels.

This is based off experience and past experience; I don't know for sure, but that's the way I'm thinking the FADEC/FLCS works?

Anyone?

Keep 'em flyin' Thumb

TEG

Forum: F-35 Lightning II

P&W Awarded $1.12Bn Contract for F135 Engine - US DoD