Air Force Official: U.S. Needs New F-35 Engine To Prevent 'Stagnating'

Defense officials are considering replacing the F-35 powerplant with a new engine to increase range, thrust, and power management.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, August 15, 2022 at 05:00 PM ET

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The Air Force, along with the Navy and Marine Corps, announced last month it had grounded the fighters out of an ”abundance of caution." [Courtesy: USAF]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. military's F-35 fighter jet propulsion advantage is stagnating, requiring engine upgrades for Block 4 to improve range, thrust, and power management.
The Air Force is considering two main options: adopting a new, high-performance adaptive engine (AETP) with significant cost and potential interoperability drawbacks, or upgrading the existing F135 engine for more modest gains while maintaining commonality.
While new adaptive engines offer superior performance, they face a high estimated cost of $6 billion, congressional opposition, and compatibility issues with the F-35B variant, whereas an F135 upgrade is cheaper and preserves commonality among variants and allies.
A final decision on the F-35 engine replacement, expected by Fiscal Year 2024, will dictate the future of the U.S. military's propulsion standing and address current sustainment issues.

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The U.S. military’s advantage in fighter jet propulsion is “essentially stagnating” without a new replacement engine for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, according to a top official at the U.S. Air Force propulsion directorate.

F-35 fighters, which are powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 turbofan engine, are in need of Block 4 upgrades that allow for increased range, thrust, and power management. The Air Force’s Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) is considering two potential engines for the modernization effort: the GE Aviation XA100 and Pratt & Whitney XA101. Defense officials are expected to make a final decision on the replacement by Fiscal 2024.