F136 engine cancelled (again)

www.flightglobal.com...

Senators today voted to freeze spending on the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136, the second engine under development for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme.

The Senate voted to reject an amendment that would have restored more than $600 million to continue development of the F136 and buy the first four production units. Senators also passed another amendment that would block any further spending on the F136 unless Secretary of Defense Robert Gates certifies that the alternate engine programme will both reduce costs and improve the readiness of the F-35 fleet

For the UK to buy the F35 this engine was the one. since NO uk aircraft has ben powered by a US engine , will this be `bye bye` to the uk`s 200+ aircraft order?

Nah, this is typical.

This is how you milk more money out of the system in the long run. They do this type of stuff all the time.

The UK will get it's F35's do not worry about that.

Just wait a few years and watch.

reply to post by Harlequin


I think the threat to kill off the UK Carrier buy is a much begger threat to the thier F-35 purchase than the alternative engine IMHO.

steel has been cut on 1 - so thats a definite , but labour have a world history of #ing things up with the UK military

For the UK to buy the F35 this engine was the one. since NO uk aircraft has ben powered by a US engine , will this be `bye bye` to the uk`s 200+ aircraft order?

Do you mean fighter engine? The C-17, and more aircraft are powered by US engines and additionally the F136 is 60% GE. In any case the F136 should continue to be funded.

[edit on 24/7/2009 by C0bzz]

reply to post by C0bzz


Even then it wouldn't be accurate. RAF Warhawk's and Kittyhawk's (aka P-40's) and Mustang I and II ( NA-73 and P-51A ) plus several other aircraft types all flew with US engines in WW2 (and no, I don't mean Packard Merlins, I mean proper US engines) while more recently the Phantoms of 74Sqn RAF were powered by the P&W J79.

Pedantry is a hobby of mine

[edit on 24-7-2009 by waynos]

Since it's the US could GE make a legal challange that the government has effectively made a sole source contract to P&W without a competiton by cancelling the F136 when it hasn't gone over budget. I would normally think it's up to Lockheed Martin what they put in the aircraft, but this is the government making decisions about the engines and aren't engines normally brought and supplied by the government not aircraft maker anyway.

Since the workshare seems to based on the development funds each partner country has put in to the project doesn't this then effect the US agreement with the UK.

looks like this isn`t over (business as usual then)

www.defense-aerospace.com...

INDIANAPOLIS --- Rolls-Royce applauds the vote of the US House of Representatives today to continue support for the competitive engine program for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The House voted 400 to 30 to include $560 million in FY2010 funding to develop and produce the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team’s F136 engine