Pratt & Whitney's JSF119-611 engine has exceeded the thrust requirements of Lockheed Martin's X-35 short take-off and landing (STOVL) Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) concept demonstrator in ground testing at the company's test site at West Palm Beach, Florida.
The engine demonstrated thrust above requirements for short take-off and vertical landing, Lockheed Martin says. "If we stopped testing today, we have enough demonstrated thrust to perform required STOVL operations with our X-35 concept demonstrator aircraft," says JSF programme manager Frank Capuccio.
Operational thrust levels were achieved with a test engine which has accumulated almost 300h, "mostly in the STOVL mode at high power settings and temperatures", Lockheed Martin says. In STOVL mode, the engine powers a shaft-driven lift fan, bleed air is ducted to two roll off-takes in the wing and residual thrust is vectored downwards by a three-bearing swivel duct exhaust.
Pratt & Whitney, meanwhile, has delivered the first flight-certificated engine to Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works for installation in the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) X-35.
Source: Flight International
