EAST HARTFORD, CT -- Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine successfully completed engine restart testing at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. The engine air restart tests are a significant program milestone demonstrating the reliability of the F135 engine in flight. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company.
The F135 engine, which is the only fifth generation engine powering the F-35 Lightning II flight test program, was put through a series of 12 engine stops and restarts while in flight.
"The purpose of these tests is to verify that the F135 engine can restart in-flight in the event of an unexpected shut-down," says Bill Gostic, vice president of F135 Engine Program. "This capability is a critical requirement for our customer and the engine performed flawlessly during this important phase of testing."
This is just one of the many successes the F135 program has had this year including powering the first STOVL aircraft flight in June, successful completion of over 10,000 test hours, and assembly completion of 10 flight test engines.
"The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is truly a team effort, and Pratt & Whitney is proud to celebrate this successful F135 program milestone with the Joint Strike Fighter program team," says Gostic.
The F135 propulsion system is the power of choice for the F-35 and has proven it can meet diverse aircraft requirements. The ground and flight test experience demonstrates the maturity and the associated reliability of the F135 engine for armed forces around the world.
