The F-35 engines began to degrade rapidly around the world. Currently, the engines of 46 fighters (15 percent) of the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II of the US Armed Forces were not working, The Drive notes.
The reason for this was the rapid wear of the heat-protective coating (degradation of calcium-magnesium aluminosilicate) of the rotor blades of the F135 power plant.
The publication notes that this problem, as of July 8, was found in 41 fighters of the US Air Force (Air Force), 3-Marine Corps (KMP) and 1-Naval Forces( Navy), as well as three F-35 Lightning II delivered abroad.
In April, Defense News, referring to the statement of the head of the Military Engines division of the American company Pratt & Whitney, Matthew Bromberg, reported that the exclusion of Turkey from the F-35 Lightning II program increases the cost of the F135 engine for this aircraft by three percent.
In July 2020, the head of the Turkish Defense Industry secretariat, Ismail Demir , said that the costs of the F-35 Lightning II program after the exclusion of Turkish contractors from it will increase by $ 600 million and will additionally lead to an increase in the price of each such aircraft by $ 7-9 million.
Ivan Potapov
