Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies business, has been awarded a $5.2bn contract to manufacture the 15th and 16th batches of F135 engines, which will power the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. The engines will be used for all three variants of the F-35, and the contract includes the delivery of 278 units of F135 engines, with an option to order up to 518 engines for the US Armed Forces and international customers. According to Airforce Technology, this engine contract is significant as the F-35 is becoming the standard NATO fighter and is expected to have more than 400 stealth fighters across NATO member bases by 2030.

“This marks a major milestone for the program. This contract award enables us to continue delivering critical 5th Generation propulsion capability to the warfighter at a fair and reasonable cost for the taxpayer,” said Jen Latka, Pratt & Whitney’s vice president for the F135 program.

The engine contract for Pratt & Whitney is a positive development that can support the growth of Lockheed Martin and maintain geopolitical stability by deterring threats in regions. This contract will benefit nations such as Canada and Germany, which have recently procured F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.

Pratt & Whitney has been powering the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Craft with engines since 2009. The F135 engine, which powers the F-35, is based on the F119 engine that is used in the US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor stealth tactical fighter aircraft. Pratt & Whitney’s “ωɑɾ on cost” efforts have reduced the average unit cost of an F135 by more than 50%, resulting in an estimated $8.1bn in cumulative engine savings over the life of the program.

As of December 2022, Pratt & Whitney has delivered over 1,000 F135 production engines, which have been used in the F-35 fighter aircraft. The F-35 is a fifth-generation lethal, survivable, and connected fighter aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, weapons capacity, range, and stealth technology.