A Pratt & Whitney senior official told DOD Buzz that the Pentagon could save big bucks if it would just issue the company a multi-year, performance-based logistics contract. Lawmakers have heard recent testimony about increased costs for the F-35 powerplant, the P&W F135—largely related to labor and supplier base issues—and, believing that competition would spawn savings, for years they have supported the General Electric Rolls-Royce F136 alternate engine over Pentagon objections. Warren Boley, head of P&W’s military engine division, reports DOD Buzz believes there’s no need to develop an alternate engine because “there are much more precise and cost-effective solutions to get the performance you want.”
The Space Development Agency wants to launch hundreds of satellites into low-Earth orbit over the next few years—and thanks to a new contract, it now has a way to get rid of some when their service life is over.
