Pratt & Whitney’s F135 Engine Core Upgrade Advances With Full $497M FY 2024 Funding

RTX announced that the fiscal year 2024 U.S. defense budget includes the full $497 million funding for its Pratt & Whitney business unit to modernize the F-35 jetfighters’ F135 engines. 

The modernization aims to boost engine durability and maximize the F-35’s Block 4 capabilities as a stealthy and configurable jetfighter by 2029. The current global support network and local workforce of the F135 Engine Core Upgrade, comprising over 225 suppliers and 57,000 jobs, will be maintained, RTX said Saturday.

The F135 ECU, which now advances to detailed design, will be compatible with the engines in all three F-35 variants and will be available to all jetfighters’ operators for retrofitting. 

Jill Albertelli, Pratt & Whitney military engines president, said the upgrade’s fiscal 2024 budget allocation will enable the company’s delivery of capabilities that will secure the United States and its partners “on the cutting edge of fighter engine technology.“ 

In addition to the F135 ECU support, the defense budget also allocated continued funding for the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion, a U.S. Air Force program wherein Pratt & Whitney is advancing its XA103 adaptive engine detailed design review to prototyping.