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 fighter jet propulsion advantage is "stagnating" without a new engine for the F-35, prompting a need for Block 4 upgrades to enhance range, thrust, and power management.
Two main options are under consideration: the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP), which proposes new, high-performance adaptive engines (GE XA100, Pratt & Whitney XA101), or a less costly upgrade to the existing F135 engine.
AETP engines offer significant performance improvements but face criticism over their estimated $6 billion cost, inability to support the F-35B variant, and potential impact on international interoperability.
The F135 upgrade offers more conservative performance gains but maintains commonality across F-35 variants and with allies, with proponents citing significant lifecycle cost savings and existing capability for Block 4 upgrades.

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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.