Aircraft

US, P&W admit new cost pressure on F135 for JSF

By Stephen Trimble

The US government and Pratt & Whitney have acknowledged new cost pressures facing development of the F135 engine that will require a proposal to restructure the programme within one month.

The F135 is the first engine being developed to power Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and US military officials and P&W have campaigned to make it the sole power source for the aircraft.

Disclosure of the new cost pressures, including a media report of an $850 million overrun, will provide a boost for the alternate JSF engine programme - the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136. The US Congress is debating whether to keep the programme alive, despite the Pentagon's decision for the third year in a row to eliminate funding.

© Pratt & Whitney

"We have been working with Pratt for over a year to restructure the programme to ensure all work to complete F135 development is adequately funded," says the F-35 joint programme office (JPO). "This includes both new work scope, on the lift-fan and basic engine, and increased costs of original planned work. We have a joint JPO, Pratt and Rolls-Royce team scrubbing all aspects of the programme now, and they have not developed a final cost to complete figure. We expect it will take at least another month," it adds.

"We have kept the Office of the Secretary of Defense, service and Congressional staffs briefed on all aspects of this issue for over six months, and they are all comfortable with the approach," says the JPO.

P&W attributes the cost pressures to an "unfavourable foreign exchange rate, the cost of materials, global market influences and other factors". The company says: "It is premature to discuss the exact cost impact at this time."