Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies business headquartered in East Hartford, Connecticut, has announced its intent to use Additive Manufacturing (AM) for the F135 engine, which powers Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This development was shared with Breaking Defense.
Following the completion of the preliminary design review (PDR) for the F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU), Pratt & Whitney indicated that AM played a crucial role in the PDR. The successful PDR completion keeps the engine on track for service deployment by 2029.
“Pratt & Whitney is upgrading the F135 engine with technology from multiple development programs to deliver increased capability and performance for the warfighter,” stated Chris Johnson, vice president of the company’s F135 program. “Upgrading the F-35’s propulsion system to ECU is a critical step toward ensuring the F-35 remains the world’s premier air dominance fighter.”
At the Farnborough International Airshow, held from July 22-26, Pratt & Whitney also revealed a redesign of the TJ150 turbojet, which is now entirely produced using Additive Manufacturing. This redesign reduced the number of parts from fifty to fewer than five, marking a significant advancement since the company first announced its AM intentions for the TJ150 in 2021.
The increased production of the TJ150, used for missiles and decoy drones, is intended to support the Air Force’s plan to enhance the use of collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). Pratt & Whitney plans to start test flights of the new TJ150 engine as early as 2025.
This advancement underscores Pratt & Whitney’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge AM technology to enhance the performance, efficiency, and capability of its engines, solidifying its role in the future of aerospace and defense manufacturing.
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