The Drive: F-35 Lightning II fighters may get new engines as early as 2027
American fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters may receive an adaptive engine as early as 2027, according to The Drive.
It is expected that the currently used power units can be replaced with General Electric XA100 or Pratt & Whitney XA101 engines, which should increase the range of the aircraft by 30 percent. In particular, the use of an adaptive power unit will increase the range of the F-35A Lightning II (without aerial refueling) from the current 1,350 miles (2,175 kilometers) to 1,800 miles (2,897 kilometers).
The publication notes that the new engine will be more expensive than the existing one, but it will potentially allow the F-35 Lightning II to compete more effectively with China. The start of work on the implementation of the announced plans requires appropriate funding, which is expected to be received within the framework of the US defense budget for fiscal year 2023.
In July 2020, Matthew Bromberg, president of the Military Engines division of the American Pratt & Whitney, told Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine that the three-circuit engine with adaptive cycle XA101 developed by the company under the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) represents the future of power plants, including military ones.
The AETP program worth two billion dollars, which is being worked on by American companies General Electric and United Technologies (it includes Pratt & Whitney), started in 2016. Within its framework, it is planned to create a demonstration sample of a new generation engine, which differs from the previous ones by higher thrust and lower fuel consumption, providing the aircraft with a longer range and speed. The XA101 power unit is supposed to be developed through a deep modernization of the F135, which should receive a third circuit. The work on AETP is classified.
