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USAF engine programmes tell a contrasting story

27th September 2021 - 15:53 GMT | by David Isby in Washington DC

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The General Electric Passport engine is a competitor for the Air Force’s CERP requirement. (Photo: General Electric)

A winning bidder has been chosen to implement the B-52H Commercial Engine Replacement Program — but a plan to re-engine the F-35A has encountered technical and affordability issues.

The USAF on 24 September picked Rolls-Royce as the winning bidder for the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) for the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bomber aircraft.

In contrast, the USAF still has to decide on its direction of travel in the Adaptive Engine Technology Program (AETP) for the F-35.

The choice in CERP was between General Electric (GE) with its CF34 and Passport engines, Rolls-Royce with the F130 and Pratt & Whitney (P&W) with the PW800. A selection was ‘imminent’ and likely to take place within the next month, Lt Gen Duke Richardson, the senior uniformed acquisition officer in the USAF, said on

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Author

David Isby

David Isby is a Washington-based attorney and consultant on national security issues. He has experience …

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