The U.S. House armed services seapower and air-land forces subcommittees this week included $485 million in continued funding for the GE/Rolls-Royce F136, an alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), in H.R.5136, the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2011. Although the Pentagon has opposed the engine program, “The committee has believed that competition in the F-35 engine program helps insure against the operational risk of up to 95 percent of the entire U.S. tactical fighter fleet being grounded due to an engine problem,” subcommittee chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) noted.
This latest action follows a long tradition of congressional support for the F136 engine. Congress has funded the engine for 14 years to ensure competition on the largest weapons procurement program in history. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, competition between Pratt & Whitney and GE/Rolls-Royce–the two F-35 engine makers–could lead to long-term savings of up to 20 percent for the $100 billion engine program.
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