JSF ALTERNATE ENGINE - F135 FACTS

Single Engine Safety Derived from a Proven Fifth Generation Fighter

Developing an all new alternate engine will not enhance safety because it will introduce unneeded complexity and dilute the overall maturity of the engine fleet, double the number of field issues, and complicate and increase the cost of the support system by requiring dual maintenance systems.  An alternate engine will also raise the cost of developing and incorporating improvements and modifications that address safety. 

The main factor determining safety and reliability is engine maturity. The F135 is a derivative of the F119 engine, now operational on the twin engine F-22 aircraft.  The proven record of the F119---which includes more than 110,000 hours of flight--- offers the military a significant advantage with respect to single engine safety, as opposed to the alternate engine, which is a new, unproven engine configuration.

F135 Delivers the Best Value for the F-35

Four out of five independent studies have concluded that an alternate engine will not save money over the life of the JSF program.  The Administration and Pentagon budgets have not funded an alternate engine for the F-35 for the past three years. Continued funding for an alternate engine has come from Congressional earmarks. In fact, funding the alternate engine has taken money away from the overall JSF program, reducing the number of aircraft which can be produced.  The total aircraft impact of continuing with the alternate engine could be a reduction of up to 40 aircraft, which will drive up the unit cost of each plane.  In his remarks on changes to the defense budget delivered on April 6, 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced his intention to eliminate “programs where the requirements were truly in the exquisite category and the technologies required were not reasonably available to affordably meet the program’s cost or goals.”  At an additional cost of $2.9 billion, the alternate engine falls into the “exquisite” category Secretary Gates describes. The Joint Strike Fighter does not have an alternate fuselage, alternate avionics, or an alternate air frame.  The alternate engine will not lower costs for the Joint Strike Fighter program and should be eliminated.

F135 Secures High Quality Jobs for U.S. Workers

40% of the alternate engine is being developed and manufactured by U.K.-based Rolls Royce.  A large portion of the Rolls Royce content on the alternate engine is likely to result in jobs based overseas.  GE is the largest engine manufacturer in the world and does more business with the US government than all other engine manufacturers; its existing production contracts,  installed base, and contracts for future military engine technology guarantee its viability for decades to come.

The DoD and Administration have decided the F135 is the right engine for the F-35

In the competition that took place in the early 90s, (DARPA ASTOVL) both Lockheed Martin and Boeing selected Pratt & Whitney engines to power their offerings. McDonnell Douglas’ offering had a GE powered gas driven lift fan concept. In 1995, the DARPA ASTOVL program became the JAST program when funding shifted from DARPA to the Navy/Air Force budget and then became the Joint Strike Fighter Concept Demonstrator Program. At this point, all three airframers maintained their engine selections in their concept demonstration aircraft. The McDonnell Douglas gas driven lift fan concept with the GE engine continued into CDA. However, MD became concerned about the gas driven lift fan concept and so developed a second concept consisting of a P&W main engine (a stock F119) and a GE lift engine. MD ultimately discarded the gas driven lift fan concept prior to the final JSF CDA down select which they lost to Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Competition took place at the contractor level, and all three airframers who ultimately submitted proposals to the CDA program considered which engine would provide them the best advantage to win the competition based on the requirements set forth in the RFP, and ultimately all three airframers selected P&W engines. The Lockheed Martin X-35 won the final JSF System Design and Demonstration competition powered by a P&W engine. The DoD and two Presidential administrations have since determined that further competition is unnecessary and not in the warfighters’ or taxpayers’ best interests.

F135 Secures a Strong Industrial Base

Splitting the manufacturing and maintenance of the engines means that each supplier will get less work than if the all the engines were produced by the same source.  The Teal Group, a highly regarded aviation consulting firm, forecasts that GE will produce more engines for the F/A-18 than Pratt & Whitney does for all of its fighter engine programs combined.  In addition to its work for the Navy (F/A-18), GE also does work for legacy Air Force fighters that are expected to remain in the force for decades to come.  GE has defense contracts that reach well into the 2020s.  By 2012 GE will have an astonishing 90 percent of the U.S. military engine industrial base – without its F-35 engine.