"Pratt & Whitney will learn a lot on the F135 program that will benefit the long-range strike program," JPO Chief Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan told reporters after a Thursday event in Washington. March 10. "I would expect that the technologies that are used in long-range strike can either be used to help the F135 program or vice versa to help drive the cost for both of us down."
"We do not plan to say one word more or one word less that what the Air Force has already said about the program. Pratt & Whitney is the engine provider for the B-21 bomber," said Matthew Bates in a ThursdayMarch 10 email.
WASHINGTON – The chief of the F-35 joint program office expects engine-maker Pratt & Whitney's work on the new B-21 bomber to reduce the cost of the next-generation fighter jet's engine, the F135.
"Pratt & Whitney will learn a lot on the F135 program that will benefit the long-range strike program," JPO Chief Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan told reporters after a Thursday event in Washington. March 10. "I would expect that the technologies that are used in long-range strike can either be used to help the F135 program or vice versa to help drive the cost for both of us down."
Bogdan would not confirm whether the F-35 power plant is common with the B-21 engine core, but said Pratt's work on Northrop Grumman's B-21 will yield lessons learned that will benefit the F-35.
"I would expect that Pratt prices for the F135 on the F-35 ought to come down as a result of the work they are going to be doing on the long-range strike," he said.
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced earlier this month that the B-21 engine would be built by Pratt & Whitney at its facility in East Hartford, Connecticut. As Defense News reported in November, the decision not to go with GE Aviation for the B-21 engine reflects a departure from history, as GE builds the F118 that powers Northrop's B-2 stealth bomber.
A Pratt spokesman also declined to confirm that the two airplanes will have a common engine.
"We do not plan to say one word more or one word less that what the Air Force has already said about the program. Pratt & Whitney is the engine provider for the B-21 bomber," said Matthew Bates in a ThursdayMarch 10 email.
The JPO and Pratt reached a "handshake" agreement on the ninth and tenth batches of F135 engines in January, a deal that will cover 66 and 101 engines, respectively.
Bogdan said he hopes to reach a similar handshake with Lockheed Martin for the ninth lot of F-35 jets by the end of March, and a tenth lot a month or two later. The combined ninth and tenth low rate initial production (LRIP) contracts are worth about $16 billion, he said.
Email: lseligman@defensenews.com
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