Pratt & Whitney Resumes F135 STOVL Propulsion System Testing for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
                     
   EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Pratt &
Whitney (P&W) led F135 Propulsion System Team has delivered and begun testing
on its second F135 Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) Propulsion
System, engine number FX643.  Later this month P&W also anticipates the
resumption of testing on FX641, the 1st STOVL configured F135 Propulsion
System.

   The F135 Team, since October of 2003, has delivered a total of three
Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) / Carrier Variant (CV) configured
engines to test  (FX631, FX632 and FX633) as well as the two previously
mentioned STOVL propulsion systems.  All the engines have been delivered under
the F135 Team's System Design and Development (SDD) contract to provide the
power for the Joint Strike Fighter and all five have been delivered on or
ahead of schedule.  These five SDD F135 engine systems have already
accumulated over 700 hours of test run time and both the CTOL/CV and STOVL
configured systems have completed some very important testing milestones.
Examples of these milestones include FX631, the first CTOL/CV configured
engine to test, completed several test runs to full afterburner power
demonstrating over 39,000 pounds of thrust and FX641 has performed sustained
runs to "hover thrust" demonstrating over 39,000 pounds of thrust in the
vertical take off mode.

   FX641 testing will be focused on the areas of STOVL Sea Level Performance,
STOVL Sea Level Operability, STOVL Systems Development and STOVL Augmentor
Performance, while FX643 is focused on endurance testing.  The F135 program
expects to deliver two more STOVL systems early this fall and is on track to
reach its target of 2,000 combined (CTOL/CV-STOVL) test hours before the end
of 2004.

   The F135 Propulsion System Team consists of P&W, the prime contractor with
responsibility for the propulsion system and system integration for all
variants; Hamilton Sundstrand provider of the F135's control system, external
accessories and gearbox; and Rolls-Royce, providing the Rolls-Royce
LiftFan(TM), 3 Bearing Swivel Module and Roll Posts to the STOVL (Short Take-
Off/Vertical Landing) F-35B.  The technologically advanced F135 has evolved
from the highly acclaimed F119 engine powering the F/A-22 Raptor.

   Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) company, is a world
leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space
propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines.

too bad the JT8D was the last decent engine pratt produced.