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 advantage in fighter jet propulsion is stagnating, necessitating a critical decision on engine upgrades for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter's Block 4 capabilities.
The Air Force is considering two primary paths by Fiscal Year 2024: adopting a new, high-performance adaptive engine (AETP) promising significant gains in range and thrust, or opting for a cheaper upgrade of the existing F135 engine with more conservative improvements.
The decision involves trade-offs between the substantial performance benefits of AETP engines, which face higher costs and potential issues with F-35B compatibility and allied interoperability, versus the F135 upgrade's cost-effectiveness and commonality across variants.

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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.