Pratt&Whitney and Collins offer F-35 engine upgrades

To counter the GE XA100 engine proposal, Pratt & Whitney has paired with Collins Aerospace, to offer an F135 engine upgrade. Known as Emergency Cooling and Power System, the F135 Engine Core Upgrade will see the engine produce 7% more thrust and range, and double the cooling capacity. It will function with all three variants, and be at TRL 6, ready for a tech demonstration, in 2023. The JPO is expected to make a decision on the future of the F-35 engine in the FY24 budget. The XA100, or XA101 should see about a 25% increase in range, with about a 10% increase in thrust, but will require far more cost to implement the changes. The saving in the long run will more than make up for the initial cost however.

Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney have unveiled a new power and cooling system for the proposed upgraded F135 engine core, aiming to increase the power output and cooling required for coming F-35 upgrades as the Pentagon considers the future of the Joint Strike Fighter’s powerplant.

The Raytheon Technologies companies say the Emergency Power and Cooling System (EPACS) with the F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) will bring a 7% increase in range and thrust and twice as much cooling. The system is compatible with all F-35 variants and can reach technology readiness level six in 2023, meaning it is ready for a technology demonstration. The company claims it would provide about $40 billion in savings compared to replacing the aircraft’s entire engine.

The U.S. Air Force has been considering a full engine replacement for its F-35A fleet, looking at the two powerplants developed in the service’s Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP)—the GE Aerospace XA100 and Pratt’s XA101. GE has been publicly pitching its offer and claims it could also work in the short takeoff and vertical landing F-35B variant. Meanwhile, Pratt has focused on pushing the F135 ECU, previously called the enhanced engine package, as a faster and more cost-effective way to increase the aircraft’s power output.

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According to Raytheon if the Pentagon goes with the Engine Core Upgrade they can complete seven squadrons of upgrades by 2029, and 17 more in 2030. If they go with the GE XA program, they can complete 2 squadrons by 2030. The FY24 budget plan should lay out the direction the Pentagon is going to go for the upgrades.

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Looks like the adaptive engine is dead for the F-35:

www.defensenews.com...

a reply to: anzha

One step forward, six back.

a reply to: anzha
Reading between the lines the Beancounters want something that fits all three platforms of F35..Idiots...Going back a bit GE had two working prototypes of its XA100 adaptive engines ready to go.
GE progress

a reply to: Zaphod58

Then again, maybe someone is thinking they are mistaken. Seems like a bit of hedging here. lol.

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a reply to: anzha
There definitely would be money involved.