Pratt & Whitney was awarded a $1.12 billion contract from the Department of Defense (DoD) to supply its F135 production engines to power the F-35 Lightning II.
Pratt & Whitney and the DoD have reached a tentative agreement on key terms for the low rate initial production (LRIP) 5 contract which contains fixed-price and cost-plus incentive fee elements. This LRIP contract includes production engines, spare parts, program management, engineering support for production, sustainment and field support for the F135 engines.
“This UCA is a vital step to allow Pratt & Whitney and our STOVL lift system partner, Rolls-Royce, to continue meeting key milestones toward LRIP 5 production deliveries,” said Bennett Croswell, president of Military Engines, Pratt & Whitney. “We anticipate contract negotiations with the F-35 Joint Program Office that will reflect the great progress being made on F135 affordability.”
The fifth lot of engines includes 21 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) engines for the U.S. Air Force; six carrier variant (CV) engines for the U.S. Navy; and three short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) propulsion systems for the U.S. Marine Corps, according to the company. The engines in LRIP 5 will support the U.S. Services with main engine deliveries slated to begin in late-2012. More