The US Navy has finalized a contract worth approximately $1.6 billion with Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of RTX, to provide sustainment support for the F135 engines powering the F-35 Lightning II fighter fleet. The agreement covers extensive maintenance activities, including recurring sustainment, program management support, propulsion integration, spare parts replenishment, and updates to Joint Technical Data. It also ensures that both unit-level and depot-level support requirements for the F-35 propulsion system are met.
As part of the deal, Pratt & Whitney will also train military personnel and operators on the proper maintenance and handling of the F-35’s advanced propulsion system. This training initiative is expected to enhance fleet readiness and streamline long-term sustainment operations. The company will distribute the workload across several US sites, with East Hartford, Connecticut, accounting for nearly 40% of the total effort.
Additional work will be carried out in Indiana, Oklahoma, and Florida, while international support operations will be conducted in Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Italy, and the United Kingdom. All tasks under the contract are scheduled for completion by November 2026, marking a key phase in global F-35 sustainment and logistics expansion.
Pratt & Whitney continues to play a crucial role in US and allied airpower through its production of the F135 for the F-35, engines for the F-15 Eagle, C-17 Globemaster III, and multiple rotary-wing aircraft. The company is also advancing next-generation propulsion technologies, including a new engine system for the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program and the XA103 adaptive engine, developed using cutting-edge digital engineering tools.
