WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The engine being developed for the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) passed a major milestone in the form of a successful Preliminary Design Review.
The F136 engine being developed by the GE-Rolls Royce Fighter Jet Team completed a three-month review by the F-35 Program Office and prime contractor Lockheed Martin.
"Completing this review process gives us the green light to proceed with activities leading to the next major milestone, the Critical Design Review in late 2007," said Jean Lydon-Rodgers, president of the Fighter Engine Team.
Lydon-Rogers said in a news release late Monday that the F136 project was moving along on budget and on schedule and had reduced the weight of the engine by more than 550 pounds.
The F136 produces 40,000 pounds of thrust and will power the next-generation JSF, also known as the F-35 Lightning II. The jet is intended to replace a number of U.S. and allied warplanes in the coming decade, including front-line aircraft such as the F-15, F-16 and Harrier jump jet.
The F136 will power all three variants of the F-35; the conventional takeoff, carrier based and short-takeoff and vertical landing models.
The Preliminary Design Review is a major step in the $2.4 billion System Development and Demonstration phase that was launched in 2004 and is scheduled to begin test runs in 2008. The engine is slated to go into production in 2012 with deliveries beginning with the fourth lot in the F-35 production plan, which GE-Rolls Royce called "very early in the overall aircraft production program. "
