United Technologies receives contract for adaptive engines

Sept. 10 (UPI) -- United Technologies Corp. has received a $436.7 million contract modification for designing, fabrication and testing flight-weight adaptive engines.

The contract, announced Friday by the Department of Defense, is for next generation adaptive propulsion engineering for air superiority applications.

Work will be performed in East Hartford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by February 2022. Air Force fiscal 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $10 million are being obligated at the time of award with total value of the contract at $1.5 billion.

The competing programs are expected to help reengineer the F-35's engine over the next decade.

The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy have been pursuing adaptive engine technology since the launch of the Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology program in 2007. The follow up adaptive engine technology demonstrator started in 2012.

Both General Electric and Pratt and Whitney are involved in a similar program called the Adaptive Engine Transition Program. The AETP is meant to develop and test adaptive engines sixth-generation fighter engines and may be adopted to improve on the F-35's P&W F135 engine.