The U.S. Navy has awarded a significant contract modification valued at nearly $2.9 billion to Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of RTX, for the production of additional engines for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This contract entails the delivery of 141 F135 engines intended for new F-35 aircraft, which will serve the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, alongside partner nations and foreign military customers.
Work on these engines is scheduled to be completed by February 2028, with production taking place across several Pratt & Whitney facilities located in Connecticut, Indiana, Washington, and Maine. These engines will be incorporated into the 18th lot of F-35 fighters being manufactured predominantly at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Forth Worth, Texas.
In a related move, the Navy had previously awarded Lockheed Martin a contract in December 2024, potentially worth up to $11.8 billion, for the production and delivery of 145 Lot 18 F-35s. This contract aims for completion by the end of June 2027. Funding for the new engines will be sourced from various entities, with the Navy contributing nearly $656 million for the 2024 and 2025 procurement phases. The U.S. Air Force is set to contribute approximately $614.6 million, while foreign military customers will provide around $513.7 million, and non-U.S. participants are expected to contribute $228.5 million.
In addition to the F-35 engine contract, Boeing has secured a sole-source deal with the Navy valued at $315 million for repairing landing gears for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft. This work will be performed in various locations, including St. Louis, Quebec, Canada, and Fort Walton Beach, Florida, with an expected completion date in September 2029.
On Thursday, the Navy also awarded Lockheed Martin a contract modification worth $27 million to procure special tooling and test equipment to support the Joint Strike Fighter program.
The contracting authority for both the Pratt & Whitney and Lockheed Martin agreements is the Naval Air Systems Command located in Patuxent River, Maryland. Meanwhile, the Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia oversees the landing gear repair contract with Boeing.
These contracts underscore the ongoing commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the U.S. military’s advanced fighter jet programs and ensuring that both domestic and international partners have access to cutting-edge technology.
