Honeywell urges Pratt & Whitney to share F-35 engine data or risk costly maintenance and reduced reliability
Although the Block 4 and Block 5 requirements have not yet been outlined, future F-35 fighters are estimated to need 60-80kW of cooling. (Photo: USAF)
'We're getting into a zone where [the engine and the cooling] are going to be out of phase with each other... which means you're going to have to take the [F-35] jet down twice for overhaul and replacement of systems,' Honeywell official tells Shephard.
Unless RTX's Pratt & Whitney collaborates in sharing engine upgrade-related data with industry by the end of the year, there is a risk of encountering recurrent issues in engine performance, Honeywell has told Shephard. These challenges are likely to mirror the problems that contributed to diminished reliability and a failure to meet established standards in the F-35 engine in 2008.
The issue revolves around the Power and Thermal Management System (PTMS) and the Enhanced Power and Cooling System (EPACS), both vying to provide improved power and cooling solutions for the F-35 fighter.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a
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