Evendale, Ohio, US -- The GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team has launched a new website to enable easy access to information about the F136 engine for the F-35 Lightning II.
The F136 engine is the most advanced fighter aircraft engine ever developed and will be available to power all variants of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the US military and eight partner nations supporting the development program.
The new website can be found at: www.FighterEngineTeam.com.
The website contains information about the F136 engine and the Fighter Engine Team, as well as recent press releases, graphics, photos and video. It will serve as a one-stop location to find all the most up-to-date information about the program as well as the history of the F136 engine.
The F136 engine is being jointly produced by GE and Rolls-Royce, two global leaders in propulsion. The first product-configuration F136 engine is being assembled at GE and will begin initial testing in early 2009. By the end of 2009, several F136 engines will be testing, with first flight to follow in an F-35 in 2010. The first production engines will be delivered to customers in 2012. The F136 program is funded in FY 2009.
Editor's notes
GE Aviation, with responsibility for 60 percent of the F136 program, is developing the core compressor and coupled high-pressure/low-pressure turbine system components, controls and accessories, and the augmentor. Rolls-Royce, with 40 percent of the F136 program, is responsible for the front fan, combustor, stages 2 and 3 of the low-pressure turbine, and gearboxes. International participant countries are also contributing to the F136 through involvement in engine development and component manufacturing.
About 900 engineers and technicians are engaged in the F136 program at GE Aviation's Cincinnati, Ohio, headquarters, and at Rolls-Royce facilities in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Bristol, England.
The F-35 is a next-generation, multi-role stealth aircraft designed to replace the AV-8B Harrier, A-10, F-16, F/A-18 Hornet and the United Kingdom's Harrier GR.7 and Sea Harrier, all of which are currently powered by GE or Rolls-Royce making them the engine powers of choice for the U.S. and U.K. militaries. Potential F-35 production for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marines and international customers may reach as many as 5000 to 6000 aircraft over the next 30 years.