Inside the Secret Factory Where the World's Most Advanced Jet Engine is Made!
how U.S Air Force F-35 jet engine being made and upgraded the F-35 engine needs modifications according to the Pentagon and business but despite years of research and discussion The Way Forward is still unclear the U.S Air Force is preparing to upgrade the f-35's power and cooling capabilities because the fifth generation Fighters missile capacity electronic warfare capabilities and targeting systems have advanced beyond what was initially anticipated the service is also concerned about going to war with China however there are still numerous ways to get there one strategy is enhancing the f-135 engine that currently Powers the F-35 through the enhanced engine program a pratt and Whitney product another possible route is an entirely new replacement engine using Cutting Edge technology such as a third stream of air to increase thrust and fuel efficiency the Adaptive engine transition program also known as ATP has seen competing versions created by Pratt and Whitney and General Electric Aviation Air Force and defense department Representatives have not yet determined whether the F-35 will get a new adaptive engine or a modernized f-135 however the businesses anticipate that the military's future goals will become more apparent within the coming year in addition to deciding where billions of dollars in defense funding will ultimately go the military's choice will affect the Cornerstone of the Air Force's fighter fleets future power and propulsion capabilities whether an adaptable engine is appropriate for the F-35 is a topic of disagreement between corporations according to GE Aviation the xa-100 which is its adaptation of the Adaptive engine will significantly increase the Jet's thrust speed range and heat management enabling it to manage more sophisticated systems while Pratt and Whitney stands by the work it is done on the xa100 and one adaptive engine and even hopes it will power the Air Force's next Generation air dominance platform which is still under development company officials insist it would be a mistake to install a brand new engine in a single-engine fighter according to Pratt and Whitney if a new adaptive engine on this single engine F-35 were to malfunction in mid-air both the aircraft and the pilot might be in danger the business also warns that if an issue is found on the ground it may put a critical element of the Air Force's fighter Fleet out of commission until a remedy is located hurting combat readiness according to Pratt and Whitney improvements to the current engine would involve fewer new variables and less risk while still having a better core to deliver more power thrust range and Cooling Dan Grazer a military analyst for the project on government oversight and a Critic of the program tool defense news at the F-35 officials must make a choice and the program cannot afford to wait according to grazier the more f-35s that are constructed and need to be adapted to handle these engines the longer they put off making this decision the sooner they can decide on this the better off everyone will be in the long run because any delay would increase prices in the future running hot since the early stages of development when the present f-135 propulsion system was created the f-35's thermal management requirements have increased noticeably the fighter will run hotter as it reaches its entire block 4 capacity which the government accountability office currently anticipates in 2029 demanding more powerful cooling systems Advanced electronic warfare capabilities better Target recognition and the capacity to carry more missiles are just a few of the block 4 enhancements that will be responsible for the f-35's increased cooling requirements while the ATP engine is still in the early stages of development and is still several years from completion Air Force secretary Frank Kendall stated in an April hearing before the house armed services committee that it could result in a 20 to 25 percent increase in performance and significant cost savings according to Kendall that would be a significant Improvement above the current capability the ATP engine would provide more power which will be necessary as the F-35 is further modernized additionally we'll have a sizable stock above 35s therefore the fuel savings we could achieve with that engine would be pretty beneficial Air Force procurement Chief Andrew Hunter commended the advancements made by GE in Pratt and Whitney on their adaptive engines during a Roundtable discussion with reporters in late June at the Pentagon he called the findings of the first tests quite encouraging the test program shows the benefits in power thermal management and fuel efficiency that we were looking for according to Hunter said that the Eight Keys original plan qualities such as more excellent range and better capacity to handle high temperatures while operating advanced electronics are proving to be precisely what the F-35 would require in a conflict with China China continues to be listed as the top threat to the United States in the most recent National defense strategy of the Biden Administration which refers to it as our most consequential strategic competitor in a public summary of the classified document China has a modernized military and cutting-edge capabilities like Hypersonic weapons Russia is listed as posing more acute dangers two critical studies are currently unfollowing to help decide how to proceed with the following engine for the F-35 the F-35 Joint program office is conducting a business case evaluation with assistance from the Air Force Navy and Marine Corps to look at potential engine and power thermal management system choices that could offer the required cooling capabilities for both U.S service Chiefs and officials from partner Nations flying the F-35 to be able to make a decision that research which is anticipated to be finished by August we'll examine the cost schedule performance and technological hazards of each alternative the propulsion program management office of the F-35 Joint program office will present the study's findings to the fighters joint executive steering board this fall according to chief petty officer Matthew olabe a spokesperson for the organization but he said that it's unclear when a decision will be taken in the end to contribute to the more extensive study the air force is also conducting a complementary operational assessment that examines how those various options might function in a real world combat scenario Air Force informed officials of the study's preliminary findings in May which is anticipated to be finished in September what exactly does it imply in a war if a solution results in increased range endurance or payload in an April hearing before the house armed services committee Lieutenant Jen Derek Fick the former F-35 Joint program executive officer spoke on the Air Force's operational assessment what does that entail in terms of using this system in Warfare in the asia-pacific region this year the Air Force also tried to acquire data that would pave the way for the F-35 to get an adaptable engine to start low rate initial production in 2028 the service published a request for information on the F-35 adaptive engine replacement program in January in this RFI prospective suppliers were questioned about how they planned to give the plane a new adaptive engine submissions Must List potential supply chain hiccups risk management strategies major cost drivers and cost cutting measures the contractor will take however if the Air Force chooses the aedtp approach Kendall said to house legislators it would completely replace the f-135 and the f-35a would not be equipped with a backup engine time industry pitches the F-35 Joint executive steering board's upcoming meeting this fall according to Jen lacka vice president of Pratt and Whitney for the f-135 engine program will provide information about the engine's future in an interview with defense news on June 6. Lac has stated that decisions will need to be made relatively soon on the financing streams in the future years defense program spending predictions since we are late to need with this it must be included in the budget the introduction of the fiscal 2024 budget plan next year will be significant according to the vice president for advanced combat engine programs during a June 21 interview at GE aviation's Washington DC office according to Dave Tweedy of Defense news it will be a very crucial document to determine where the Air Force and where the office of the Secretary of Defense wants to go with this wolf businesses boast about the anticipated enhancements their chosen propulsion system would provide according to Pratt and Whitney its strategy for the enhanced engine program which would modernize the f-135 can enable complete block 4 capability produce a greater than 10 boost in thrust and range and offer a more than 50 percent gain in thermal capacity according to Tweety ge's xa100 engine can provide 25 percent more fuel economy than the f-135 engine currently in use extending nf-35s range by 30 percent it also claimed it could deliver 10 to 20 percent more thrust resulting in 25 to 40 percent higher acceleration and two times as much thermal management do you want something that has the potential to transform while remaining operationally relevant for decades to come add a Tweety not merely an incrementalist strategy that can address issues in the following five years according to Tweety ge's xa100 engine can provide 25 percent more fuel economy than the f-135 engine currently in use extending nf-35s range by 30 percent he also claimed it could deliver 10 to 20 percent more thrust resulting in 25 to 40 percent higher acceleration and two times as much thermal management you want something that has the potential to transform while remaining operationally relevant for decades to come add a Tweety not merely an incrementalist strategy that can address issues in the following five years according to Tweety the xa-100 engine can reach these characteristics thanks to three components one of them is an Adaptive cycle that enables it to bend fluidly to the arrangement that offers the most force and Effectiveness in a particular circumstance additionally it has a third stream of air that cools the engine in the jet a characteristic that has never been found in aviation engines before G's adaptive engine which replaces the conventional nickel-based super alloy with ceramic Matrix Composites for the turbines and other components that can endure the hundreds of degrees these engines operate his new sophisticated materials and production techniques he claimed that these Composite Materials could endure hundreds more degrees while weighing only a third of conventional alloys he explained that increasing an engine's performance is to run it hotter but simultaneously the Composites are delivering enhanced durability compared to nickel-based Alloys due to the higher temperatures and improved performance added that the engine uses additive manufacturing or 3D printing more frequently enabling its Engineers to create components that weren't possible to develop using conventional fabrication methods Pratt and Whitney recognizes the potential benefits of Innovations like ceramic Matrix Composites but the business does not believe it is wise to use a different material in the F-35 according to lacka when you are in the field you will learn about any new technology not only engines learning something about engines is difficult because you're lifting that thing into the air the safety requirements differ while using a single engine fighter because losing the aircraft and endangering the pilot are possible consequences of failing that engine cost and variant concerns [Music] lacao also mentioned cost and sustainment factors regarding installing a new adaptive engine in the f-35s single engine if there are two engine configurations available Lac has stated that there should be two sustainment infrastructures to support them that doesn't only mean buildings it also means various Depots and support machinery because you manage several configurations it entails two separate sustainment engineering organizations it implies that the necessary tooling support equipment training and maintenance must be somewhat reproduced according to Tweety G's adaptive engine could reduce the sustainment costs for the F-35 when you start reducing fuel usage by 25 percent and improving durability that can translate into long-term life cycle cost reductions however a problem could increase the price of an Adaptive engine the present options do not fit in any of the three F-35 variants the Adaptive engines from G and Pratt and Whitney will fit in the F-35 and that the Air Force uses according to GE the machine will also work in the Navy and Marine Corps at 35c aircraft carrier model however the Marines at 35b Short takeoff and vertical Landing aircraft would not Now operate with the engines according to Pratt and Whitney the updated f-135 may be installed in all three F-35 types as part of the enhanced engine program or Eep with little testing and airframe modification last November Greg Hayes CEO of Pratt and Whitney's parent company Raytheon Technologies expressed concerns about the Air Force's ability to fund the creation of an Adaptive engine given the varying limitations thick has also doubted whether an adaptable engine could be installed in f-35s other than the a model meaning the Air Force would be responsible for paying the total price according to a September story in Air Force magazine an adtp engine will need major changes to fit an F-35 seat and is absolutely a non-starter for the f-35b Tweety asserted that it is a problem that can be resolved and GE is currently working to develop a version of the adaptable engine that would fit in an f-35b he stated that an engineering study on an Adaptive f-35b engine is currently being conducted with the Marine Corps expecting to provide data on potential performance by this fall thank you the question is how good can we do with it not can we added Tweety the f-135 can handle the power requirements of the F-35 block 4 improvements according to Pratt and Whitney but the enhancements will significantly exceed the f-135's cooling capabilities according to Latka the f-135's power thermal management system is currently running at twice the rate for which it was intended furthermore an engine runs hotter when it has more work to accomplish necessitating more maintenance and raising life cycle expenses lack observe that engine is doing everything a pilot would need it to do it's a financial problem not a technical one according to lacto the f-135 needs modernization work as part of Eep because it has been virtually unmodified from the beginning of the F-35 program a power thermal management system is required to allow block 4 for the future threat lack is stated however installing a new engine to satisfy that cooling requirement is never a good idea there are many more straightforward less expensive and disruptive ways to fulfill that requirement although the third stream of air in the Adaptive engine is a remarkable technology she added that other Technologies could be employed to further the f-35's efficiencies she claimed that although it doesn't produce as much fuel efficiency as the Adaptive engine the f-135's enhanced Eep core still improves already making significant progress in commercializing this technology laca said the xa-100 and one adaptive engines testing is expected to be completed by Pratt and Whitney in 2023 and so far tests have shown that the technology is fulfilling performance objectives according to Tweety one of the two full-scale prototype xa-100 engines that GE built and tested will be fired up for the first time in late December 2020 at its Evendale Ohio site close to Cincinnati throughout the first three months of 2021 tests on that engine preceded some of which were conducted at Heights above sea level in August 2021 GE began testing the second Prototype at the Avendale plant and testing continued there through November he claimed that this mainly concentrated on structural and mechanical testing and began to look at the engine's performance at the Arnold engineering development complex on Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee where tests are now being conducted data are being measured more accurately and closely mimicking flight conditions than a cheese site teams from GE the Air Force lag cycle Management Center and Arnold AFV are participating in those tests which got underway on March 25 and should be finished by the end of the summer [Music] according to Tweety the engine is currently being put through several conditions that it may see in Flight such as various altitudes and power settings to see how it would react the testing according to him has already shown that the xa-100 can deliver more fuel efficiency torque and other performance qualities for which it was designed he added that if the item enters engineering and Manufacturing development they detail at more detailed investigations conducted at Arnold AFP will produce the fine-tuned data required for design work potential query is does this technology work how mature is it that question has been somewhat addressed 2D added for this reason I believe you start to see a lot more serious conversation about the next steps for advancing this technology both publicly and privately Tweety cited the Air Force's funding proposal for the program of 286 million dollars in fiscal 2023 saying that GE anticipates the air force to move forward with ATP additionally Congress has backed the Endeavor financially the service's initial adtp funding request of approximately 124 million dollars was drastically increased by 460 million dollars in the fiscal year 22 spending bill bringing the total approved spending to about 584 million dollars however Grazer believes that the difficulties in protracted discussion surrounding the f-35's engine demonstrate the direct result of those judgments taken when the Joint Strike Fighter concept was conceived more than 20 years ago strongest arguments against having a collaborative program like the F-35 is the issue with the F-35 versions and the chance that an Adaptive engine wouldn't function for all three according to him the missions and requirements for different Services aircraft vary and developing a universal airframe that would work for all of them has significantly increased the program's complexity in price before we began purchasing countless numbers of f-35s it would have been ideal if these ideas had been thoroughly tested according to gracer we are essentially reaping the benefits of our 1990's Investments
2023-02-20 21:28
