Pratt & Whitney's CTOL Engines for JSF Advance Towards Maiden Flight

Pratt & Whitney's new JSF119 military turbofan, in development for competing Boeing and Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter candidate aircraft, is poised to begin flight testing of the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) engine variant. The JSF119-614 as fitted to the Boeing X-32A, and the JSF119-611 of the Lockheed Martin X-35A, successfully completed flight clearance testing earlier this year. Two flight test engines have now been delivered to each of the airframer's flight test centers in California. The STOVL (Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing) variant engines, which are being developed in conjunction with Rolls-Royce and the two airframe contractors, are on schedule for delivery and flight testing later this year. To date the JSF119 series has accumulated over 2,400 hours in ground testing in subsonic and supersonic conditions.