As the political debate heats up again over the engines for the F-35 strike fighter, Pratt & Whitney, maker of the F135, the current powerplant, says things are heating up at its end, too, but in a good way. On Feb. 2, the company announced that it has delivered the first production-version F135 engine for the F-35. Pratt said this milestone is a “clear demonstration of the maturity of the F135,” which has accrued more than 13,000 hours in tests thus far. The General Electric-Rolls Royce team developing the F136 engine is continuing to battle for the rights to supply the propulsion systems for thousands of future F-35s. The Pentagon wants to terminate F136 work, saying it has sufficient confidence in the F135 design and it doesn’t have the funds to build two engine types. (For more, read Counterpoint.)
Space Force Adds Unit Tying Acquisition to Test and Training
Sept. 18, 2025
The Space Force has introduced a host of new and revamped deltas in recent months to tighten the ties between acquisition and operations. Now, a new unit is adding training to the mix.
