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Pratt & Whitney F135 engine exceeds 9,000 SDD ground test hours
March 3, 2008 (by
Asif Shamim) -
Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine exceeded 9,000 system development and demonstration (SDD) ground test hours this week
This achievement, is in addition to 3,600 test hours accumulated during the F-35's concept demonstration program, puts the total engine test program hours at more than 12,600.
"This ground testing milestone, combined with the ongoing successful F-35 Lightning II flight test program, demonstrates the maturity, flexibility and reliability of Pratt & Whitney's F135 propulsion system," said Bill Gostic, vice president, Pratt & Whitney F135 engine program.
Achieving of 9,000 SDD ground test hours is one of a series of milestones for the F135 propulsion system development program. Pratt & Whitney's F135 conventional take-off and landing engine continues to power the F-35 Lightning II flight test program with 32 flight tests and more than 35 flight test hours to date.
The F135 is described as the most powerful fighter engine ever built, rated at more than 40,000 pounds of thrust. The engine is a technologically advance of the highly successful F119 engine used on the F-22 Raptor. By the time the F-35 enters operation in 2013, the F119 engines will have logged more than 600,000 flying hours and the F135 will have logged more than 16,000 flying hours.
A Pratt & Whitney F135 flight test engine in full afterburner running at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas. At 40,000 pounds of thrust, the F135 is the most powerful fighter engine ever built. [Pratt & Whitney photo]
"This ground testing milestone, combined with the ongoing successful F-35 Lightning II flight test program, demonstrates the maturity, flexibility and reliability of Pratt & Whitney's F135 propulsion system," said Bill Gostic, vice president, Pratt & Whitney F135 engine program.
Achieving of 9,000 SDD ground test hours is one of a series of milestones for the F135 propulsion system development program. Pratt & Whitney's F135 conventional take-off and landing engine continues to power the F-35 Lightning II flight test program with 32 flight tests and more than 35 flight test hours to date.
The F135 is described as the most powerful fighter engine ever built, rated at more than 40,000 pounds of thrust. The engine is a technologically advance of the highly successful F119 engine used on the F-22 Raptor. By the time the F-35 enters operation in 2013, the F119 engines will have logged more than 600,000 flying hours and the F135 will have logged more than 16,000 flying hours.
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- Pratt & Whitney awarded contract for F135 engines ( 2007-09-05)
- Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine completes successful afterburner test ( 2007-02-01)
- Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine achieves 7,000 SDD ground test hours ( 2007-01-25)
- Pratt & Whitney F135 certified to power Lightning II's first flight ( 2006-10-23)
- Pratt & Whitney delivers third flight test F135 engine for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ( 2006-08-02)
- F-35 Lightning II news archive
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