Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter has amassed more than 6,000 hours of testing system development and demonstration ground testing, in addition to the more than 3,600 hours logged during the concept demonstration phase of the F-35, according to a company press release. P&W, which recently supervised a full after-burner test, says the engine is ready for F-35 taxi testing slated for later this fall.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…

