The Navy awarded Raytheon Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney [RTX] an undefinitized contract modification worth up to $4.385 billion on June 14 for almost 180 F-35 engines.

The award adds scope to a previously awarded contract to produce and deliver Lot 15 and 16 F-35 propulsion systems, specifically 152 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems divided into 108 for the Air Force, 29 for the Navy and 15 for the Marine Corps as well as 26 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for the Marine Corps F-35B Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant.

The F135-PW-100 engine is used in the F-35A and C models used by the Air Force and Navy.

An F-35A Lightning II with the F-35 Demonstration Team flies over Hill AFB Utah on Jan. 10, 2020. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

This modification has several other provisions and uses for the Defense Department, including to procure long lead-time components, parts and materials associated with both engine variants for non-Defense Department participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers.

It also provides global spares requirements including spare engines, power modules and other hardware as well as a Block 4 STOVL development test engine for flight test efforts.

The work is expected to be finished by September 2024.