Pratt & Whitney announced Nov. 23 that it has delivered the 400th F119 engine to the Air Force for the F-22 stealth fighter force. In a company release Nov. 23, Tyler Evans, Pratt’s F119 program director, said this delivery is “tangible proof of the maturity of this fifth-generation engine.” F119s have already accumulated more than 125,000 operational flight hours, he said. Two F119 engines power each F-22. Pratt is using the production and flight experience gleaned from the F119 as it matures the more powerful F135, a powerplant for the F-35 stealth fighter, that uses the F119’s core.
Small satellites meant to improve the way the U.S. measures Earth’s magnetic field—an option to expand the military’s position, navigation, and timing enterprise—launched March 30 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.