F135 engine sets record during test

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A U.S. Air Force team testing the F135-PW-100 engine has reached a milestone ahead of qualifying the engine for the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter.

The evaluation team at the Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee announced it successfully ran the F135-PW-100 engine continuously for more than 52 hours. Officials say the duration of the test set a record for the longest continuous engine test period, the Air Force reported.

The F135-PW-100 engine tests are a critical step for the technology ahead of qualification for the Air Force's new F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter.

"This test was not just on a specific engine, per se, or just the F135 program, but this qualification test affects the whole Joint Strike Fighter program," John Kelly, Air Force manager for the project, said in a statement.