The Senate Appropriations Committee has cleared a bipartisan bill that seeks to provide $497 million in funding to modernize the F135 engine of RTX‘s (NYSE: RTX) Pratt & Whitney business.
Aside from the allocation for the F135 engine core upgrade development, the bill also includes $264 million for engine spares and repair parts and $280 million for future engine technology innovation, the defense contractor said Friday.
Jill Albertelli, president of military engines at Pratt & Whitney, underscored the importance of the funding as well as another item that would prohibit the use of alternate engine on any F-35 variant.
“Our collective focus should be on maximizing the performance of all three variants of the F-35, while prioritizing the advancement of sixth-generation solutions that serve our highest, most urgent national defense priorities,” she added.
The F135 ECU Program was launched as a block upgrade for the said engine. It seeks to ensure the F135 is prepared for both hardware and software insertion and spiral development to keep pace with changing operational environments and evolving threats.
With the committee passing the bill, lawmakers are on track to finishing the 2024 appropriations.
