April 18, 2007 (by Lieven Dewitte) -
The Pratt & Whitney F119 engine, powering the F-22 Raptor, exceeded 40,000 production flight hours in April, a major milestone for the engine program.
In final preparations for its first flight on Oct. 24th 2000, the X-35A runs its engine in full afterburner as the LM JSF team validates performance predictions of the P& W JSF F119-611 engine.
F119- powered F-22 Raptors currently operate from Langley
AFB, Virginia; Edwards AFB, California; Nellis AFB, Nevada; and Tyndall AFB, Florida.
Currently the most advanced fighter engine, the F119 entered operation in December 2005. The engine features a unique thrust-vectoring nozzle, allowing unprecedented speed, agility, precision and situational awareness combined with air-to-ground and air-to-air combat capabilities. Two F119s enable the F-22 to supercruise, or achieve supersonic speeds without the use of the afterburner.
A derivative of the F119, the F135 engine, powers the new F-35 Lightning II, which completed its first flight in December 2006 and continues to power the F-35 flight test program.
