Officials speaking for the F136 Fighter Engine Team of General Electric and Rolls Royce announce they will cease self-funding the F136, ending a long-running battle between the makers of the F-35 strike fighter alternate engine and DOD, which wanted to continue with only the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine for the F-35.
Pentagon leaders, eager to move fast and avoid pitfalls that have plagued defense acquisition in the past, are handing authorities and oversight for some of their biggest programs to officers outside the traditional structure. But the Air Force and Space Force four-stars given those responsibilities say they don’t intend their jobs to be a permanent change to the system.