August 23, 2005 (by Lieven Dewitte) -
The GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team (FET) has been awarded a contract valued at $2.4 billion to develop its F136 engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
The deal was announced late Monday by the Department of Defense under a Navy program that is administering development of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The jet will be powered with Pratt & Whitney engines until 2012. After that, GE Aircraft Engines and Rolls will compete with Pratt & Whitney for engine placement on the F-35.
The F136 engine is expected to flight-test on the F-35 in 2010.
The United States and foreign air forces will select either the Pratt & Whitney engine or the GE/Rolls engine as they order individual batches of F-35s.
About 6,000 F-35s may be built over 30 years, GE said. Lockheed Martin is designing the plane to replace several aircraft including the F-16 and F/A-18.
Lockheed Martin has already produced a prototype of the plane, expected to cost between $28 million and $40 million a piece. The first planes are expected to go into U.S. service in two years using the Pratt & Whitney engine.
GE Transportation - Aircraft Engines, with responsibility for 60 percent of the F136 program, is developing the core compressor and coupled high-pressure/low-pressure turbine system components, controls and accessories, and the augmentor. Rolls-Royce, with 40 percent of the F136 program, is responsible for the front fan, combustor, stages 2 and 3 of the low-pressure turbine, and gearboxes.
