GKN Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney to 3D print a full-scale F135 engine case

F-35 Engine Core Upgrade to Face Critical Review in August

DAYTON, Ohio—A major planned upgrade for the F-35 fighter’s engine is expected to reach a major milestone in August when it undergoes its critical design review, an Air Force official said July 27. John Sneden, the service’s portfolio acquisition executive for propulsion, told reporters at the Life Cycle Industry Days conference here that the so-called Engine Core Upgrade is “proceeding well.” ECU is a major effort to modify the F-35 Joint Str…

Pratt & Whitney gets new contract to resolve F135 engine issues

RTX Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney Military Engines division in East Hartford, Connecticut, has been awarded a $54 million order to perform engineering work on the F135, the engine that powers every version of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, according to the contract announcement. The order, issued under a fixed-price incentive structure that rewards the […]

F135 Engine Core Upgrade nearing critical design review next month

DAYTON, OH -- The lengthy process to modernize the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's existing power system is on track to reach a new milestone this summer, Air Force propulsion leaders told reporters today. The F135 Engine Core Upgrade program “is progressing well toward critical design review next month,” John Sneden, program acquisition executive for the service’s propulsion directorate said during the Life Cycle Industry Days conference here. RTX'…

GKN Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney to 3D print a full-scale F135 engine case

GKN Aerospace and RTX’s Pratt & Whitney have signed a Technology Development Agreement to additively manufacture a large-scale engine case for the F135, the engine that powers the F-35 Lightning II. Announced at the Farnborough Air Show on 20 July 2026 and backed by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), the program targets a first…

F135 Engine Core Upgrade Set For Key Design Review Next Month, As CCA Engine Picture Clarifies

DAYTON, Ohio—Pratt & Whitney‘s [RTX] Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for the F-35 fighter’s F135 engine is to have a critical design review (CDR) in August. After CDR, ECU is to […]