The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Pratt & Whitney a $571 million production contract for F135 engines to power the F-35 Lightning II. This low rate initial production (LRIP) contract covers production, sustainment, spare parts and engineering support for the third lot of F135 engines, including 10 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) and 11 short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) engines for F-35 aircraft. Additionally, Pratt & Whitney has been awarded a $113 million contract for long lead material procurement to produce 32 F135 engines for the fourth lot of F135 engines. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company.

"Pratt & Whitney is proud to be producing operational F135 engines scheduled for delivery later this year," said Warren Boley, vice president, Pratt & Whitney F135 programs. "These contracts demonstrate the maturity of the F135 engine program, which has completed more than 100 successful test flights and hover pit testing, meeting the demanding STOVL vertical thrust requirements."

"The F135 has demonstrated very high reliability during the F-35 flight test program, surpassing 130 flight test hours without a single engine event," Boley said. "This is a very significant year for the F135 engine and the F-35 Lightning II program. Pratt & Whitney continues to proudly support both Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office on this important program."

Pratt & Whitney has designed, developed and tested the F135 to deliver the most advanced fifth generation fighter engine for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, as well as eight international partner countries. The F135 is derived from proven technology of the only operational fifth generation fighter engine, the Pratt & Whitney F119. It has been further enhanced with technologies developed in several Air Force and Navy technology programs.

The F135 is the only engine powering the F-35 Lightning II flight test program. The F135 propulsion system has proven it can meet diverse aircraft requirements, and the ground-and-flight-test experience demonstrates the maturity and the associated reliability of the F135 engine for armed forces around the world.