Better Engine for the F-35

The F-35 Could Get a Better Engine

Proposed upgrade would consume less fuel, produces more thrust.

Getty DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images.
 
By Kyle Mizokami

The maker of the F-35's engine says it can provide an engine that uses less fuel to create more thrust, improving the performance of the multinational jet fighter. The company, Pratt and Whitney, claims it can deliver the engine by the early 2020s—if the Pentagon and participating countries pay for its development.

The engine, tentatively called F135 Growth Option 1, builds upon the original F135 engine with technology gathered from Navy and Air Force programs. The engine would be a drop-in fit for all three variants of the F-35: the Air Force's F-35A, the Navy's carrier-borne F-35C, and the Marine Corps' vertical takeoff and landing F-35B.

According to Defense News, the improved engine "could improve thrust by up to 10 percent and reduce fuel consumption by up to 6 percent." An increase in thrust could help make the plane be a better dogfighter and respond quicker to new threats, while reduced fuel consumption would increase the jet's range. The F-35A has a range of 1200 nautical miles with internal fuel, the F-35B has a range of 900 nautical miles, and the F-35C has a range of 1400 nautical miles. A six percent decrease in fuel consumption could add up to an extra 72 miles to the F-35A's range.

Pratt and Whitney says Growth Option 1 would also be "cost neutral," meaning that if it is developed, it would cost about the same as the existing F-35 engine. Development costs, however, would be shared by Washington and other partners in the program such as the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Japan, and others.

Source: Defense News