A problem with the F135 engine built by Pratt & Whitney Co. for the F-35 fighter should not delay the program’s flight test schedule, a senior program official tells Reuters.
Air Force Major General C.D. Moore, the program’s deputy executive officer, told reporters that he remained confident that the $300 billion Lockheed Martin Corp. program could meet its cost and schedule targets.
Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. unit, on Sunday said part of an F135 engine was damaged during testing on Friday, and work was underway to determine the cause.
Moore said he was optimistic about resolving the issue because an earlier version of the engine had already passed the certification testing. “I’m not losing sleep over it,” he told Reuters after the news conference.
Moore declined comment when asked if the event could spur additional support for an alternate engine being developed by General Electric Co. and Britain’s Rolls-Royce Group PLC, which the Obama administration has targeted for cuts.
The Pentagon has long advocated halting the alternate engine program — which Congress initiated and has funded for years despite White House opposition — and proceeding with a single engine. Many other weapons programs had been successful with one engine, he said.
But Moore conceded the timing of the engine incident was unfortunate. “This could be a nonissue, but it’s the political implications that go with it,” he said.
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