Pratt & Whitney's F135 conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) production engine powered the successful first flight of a production F-35 aircraft on Friday, Feb. 25. This milestone marks the introduction of Pratt & Whitney's F135 production engines into service. Pratt & Whitney is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

"The first flight of a production F135 engine and F-35 Lightning II aircraft is another important milestone and is indicative of the transition of the program from a pure development phase," said Bennett Croswell, vice president of F135/F119 Engine Programs, Pratt & Whitney. "We are one step closer to getting this magnificent aircraft to the war fighter. I am proud of the F135 team and our partners at Hamilton Sundstrand and Lockheed Martin for this tremendous program accomplishment. We look forward to seeing the F135-powered Lightning II in operational flight."

During the flight, the CTOL F-35A variant, known as AF-6, underwent basic flight maneuvering and engine tests. Lockheed Martin Flight Test Pilot Bill Gigliotti took off from Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base at 4:05 p.m. EST and landed at 5:05 p.m. The jet will continue flight tests in Fort Worth for about a month before it is accepted by the Air Force.

The F135 is in production and is the only engine powering the F-35 Lightning II flight test program today. The F135 CTOL/CV engine and STOVL propulsion system continues to power the F-35 Lightning II with 620 flight tests and nearly 900 flight test hours. The F135 has powered all 41 vertical landings and the F135 engine is demonstrating excellent reliability, performance and thrust response. To date, Pratt & Whitney has delivered 16 production F135 engines, including the first four production STOVL propulsion systems.

Pratt & Whitney has designed, developed and tested the F135 to deliver the most advanced fifth generation fighter engine for the United States and its allies around the world. Based on the highly successful F119 powering the F-22 Raptor, the F135 has been further enhanced with technologies developed in several U.S. Air Force and Navy technology programs.