An RTX subsidiary has received a $66 million definitized contract modification to extend its F135 Engine Core Upgrade preliminary design work.
The award, which was funded by the Connecticut congressional delegation, brings the total contract value to $180 million and will be used to advance Pratt & Whitney’s efforts under the engine modernization project, the East Hartford, Connecticut-based company announced on Tuesday.
Jen Latka, vice president for the F135 program at Pratt & Whitney, said that the organization is “extremely grateful for the ceaseless support” of the Connecticut delegation.
“We’ll use this funding to make quick progress on our Engine Core Upgrade’s preliminary design efforts, and that will keep us on track to deliver this important capability starting in 2028,” she said.
Specific areas the new allocations will support include design engineering, program management and technology maturation, as well as risk reduction, long lead material and hardware purchase and weapons system integration.
Announced in March 2023 as part of President Biden’s 2024 budget proposal, the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy decided to revitalize the F135 as opposed to replacing it with a completely new engine.
“A modernized F-35 needs a modernized engine to support it,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Ct.
This additional funding, she asserted, will help Connecticut and the broader U.S. maintain a skilled workforce to create the important capability.
“Upgrading the F135 is the right decision to support our national defense priorities and defense industrial base, and I’ll continue to ensure this program gets the support and funding it needs,” DeLauro added.
The F135 ECU is a fast, cost-effective and low-risk path to Block 4 capability for every F-35 operator globally. Built for all three F-35 variants, the F135 ECU is expected to produce $40 billion in lifecycle cost savings by utilizing the current global sustainment infrastructure and limiting disruptive and expensive air vehicle changes.
Pratt & Whitney booked the initial $115 million contract in December 2022. At the time of the announcement, DeLauro emphasized the company’s workforce of 11,000 in East Hartford and Middletown, Connecticut alone. Across the country, the F135 initiative supports over 53,000 jobs spanning 36 states.
