The F136 Engine Program - More competition. Lower spending. Better quality.

Providing for Acquisition Reform

What's better for the warfighter - 30 years of competition or

30 years of monopoly? Find out why Americans need to act now

to ensure cost savings from competition.

Learn more.

About the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

The F-35 will replace a total of 11 fighter/attack aircraft in use by the U.S. and its allies around the world. Within a few decades, nearly all U.S. fighter aircraft will be F-35s. Most of the allied nations will also replace their current fleets with F-35s. Overall, this will be a huge defense program, the largest in U.S. history, with more than 3,000 F-35s to be manufactured. The program represents the future of fighter engine sales for decades to come, and may be the last manned fighter aircraft ever.

The F-35 will offer stealth technologies to evade radar, and will be used as an air-to-air fighter aircraft as well as a ground attack strike aircraft. It will be used by the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. There will be conventional, carrier and vertical take-off landing versions of the F-35.

The F-35 is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, in partnership with BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman.

The international partners include the United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Turkey, Canada, and Australia, and all have invested in the JSF program. Other nations are likely to purchase as well, including Israel, Japan, Singapore, Spain, and Greece.

For more information on the Joint Strike Fighter program, visit jsf.mil.

About the F136 Engine

Competition is the way to go. The F-35 will be powered by a single, powerful engine. Because so many aircraft are being produced and replacing virtually the whole U.S. fleet, Congress did not want all fighters reliant on a single engine, which could develop a problem and ground the whole U.S. fleet. An engine monopoly would also drive up costs.

As a result, Congress funded a second, competitive engine, with the goal that two companies would compete head-to-head for annual engine sales.

The GE/Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team, a joint venture between two of the world’s leading engine companies, is developing the alternate engine, the F136. The U.S. Government has already invested $2.5 billion in the F136—70% of the total needed to finish development. However, the Administration is seeking to kill the F136 and Congress is currently debating whether to continue funding the engine program after 14 years.

For more information on the F136, visit f136engine.com.