Sustained Burn

Nov. 10, 2009

Members of the J-2 test team at the Arnold Engineering Development Center on the grounds of Arnold AFB, Tenn., have set a record by running a Pratt & Whitney F135 engine continuously for 52.5 hours, the longest period that this engine type has run uninterrupted. The team accomplished this feat while conducting altitude-performance and qualification tests of the F135, which is one of the two powerplants currently under development for the F-35 strike fighter. The qualification testing had to do with the initial service release of the F135 engines that will be used in the Air Force’s F-35A aircraft and the Navy’s F-35C carrier variant. (Arnold report by Janae’ Daniels)

Related Content

Watch and Read: All the Videos and Transcripts from AWS 23

March 21, 2023
The 2023 AFA Warfare Symposium held March 6-8 in Aurora, Colo., brought together dozens of the leading voices shaping the Air Force and Space Force of today and the future. You can access the entire program via on-demand video and complete transcripts starting now, with every keynote session and panel…

Space Force Invests in System for Building and Modifying Satellites—in Orbit

March 20, 2023
Building satellites is hard enough on Earth, but a group of companies just received a contract from the U.S. Space Force that could pave the way to building satellites in orbit. Announced March 20, the goal of the $1.6 million award is to demonstrate building a standalone satellite on Earth…

PACAF Commander: Air Superiority Is the Focus in Indo-Pacific

March 20, 2023
Give Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces, one extra dollar, and he would spend it bolstering the U.S.’s air superiority in the region, he said March 20. And within that endeavor, there are plenty of efforts to pursue, Wilsbach said during an Aerospace Nation webinar hosted by the…

For 4th Time This Year, B-1 Bombers Join S. Korean Fighters in Show of Force

March 20, 2023
A pair of B-1B Lancers flew alongside American F-16s and South Korean F-35s over the Korean Peninsula on March 19, the same day North Korea reportedly launched another missile test off its coast. The latest combined air training event between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea (ROK) was part of…

Chinese Spy Balloon Prompts $90 Million in New Air Defense Spending

March 20, 2023
The Chinese spy balloon may have popped, but funding to protect against similar threats is inflating, according to the Department of Defense. The high-attitude surveillance balloon that traversed the U.S. in late January and early February prompted last-minute additions to the Pentagon's budget of around $90 million for measures to…

Photos: F-22 Raptors Deploy to Philippines In ‘Milestone’ for Alliance

March 17, 2023
The U.S. Air Force marked an important first earlier this week when F-22 Raptors deployed to Clark Air Force Base, the first time U.S. fifth-generation fighters have ever deployed to the Philippines, the Air Force said. The F-22 deployment, which took place on March 13 and 14, comes as the…

First All-Space Force Flight Graduates from Officer Training School

March 17, 2023
A group of 15 Guardians became the first all-Space Force flight to graduate from the Department of the Air Force’s Officer Training School on March 10—another milestone as the new service carves out space-specific education for its incoming members. 

Tattoos, Loan Repayments, and More: Air Force Attacks Recruiting Barriers

March 17, 2023
Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin told Air & Space Forces Magazine that top leaders are working the service’s recruiting problems, as ;eaders late last year “put a team together to ensure that we are evaluating all of the things that we do to make sure we’re not…