P&W, Netherlands sign depot deal for engines used on F-35s

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Pratt & Whitney and the Netherlands Ministry of Defense have signed an activation agreement for a depot to service F135 engines, used on F-35 fighters.

The depot for the maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade will be activated in 2019 and this award covers the planning and management activities required for MRO&U activation.

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the Netherlands MOD for depot activation support for the F135 engine," said Bennett Croswell, president, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. "As we prepare for an increase in F135 engine production, we need partners who demonstrate the high levels of technical capabilities that are required to support the F135 internationally."

The U.S. Department of Defense last year assigned the Netherlands as one of the European countries where the maintenance of the F135 engines will be carried out.

The Netherlands is one of the original nine partner nations for the F-35 Lightning II fighter and is expected to eventually procure nearly 40 of the aircraft. Its parliament in March approved acquisition of eight of the fighters from Lockheed Martin.