Pratt & Whitney F135 Engine Core Upgrade passes preliminary design review

The Pratt & Whitney F135 engine on the test stand. The F135 requires additional electrical generation and cooling to sufficiently power the upcoming F-35 Block 4. (Pratt & Whitney )

Pratt & Whitney's Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for the F135 engine, which powers the Lockheed Martin F-35, has passed preliminary design review (PDR), the company said in a 15 July statement. The ECU is “on schedule and exceeding expectations”, said Pratt & Whitney.

“The PDR was a successful first step towards the capability the ECU will provide in meeting the challenging performance and durability requirements of the F135,” said US Navy Captain Mitchell Grant, F-35 propulsion programme manager with the Joint Program Office (JPO), which administers acquisition of the aircraft for its customers. “The ECU will ensure that the US and our international partners remain well-positioned to outpace adversary threats,” he added.

Power and cooling demands on the current version of the F135 shorten the engine's lifespan. The ECU is intended to provide roughly 25% more electrical power and cooling to both extend the lifespan of engines on current aircraft and pave the way for the Block 4 version of the F-35, which requires both more electrical power and cooling capacity to operate a new suite of electronics. The first ECU is scheduled to enter service in 2029. The new equipment is designed to be installed in both newbuild aircraft and retrofitted into existing ones at depot maintenance facilities.