Posted on 08/22/2022 6:32:42 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The U.S. Air Force is getting serious about developing a so-called adaptive engine for its current and future fighter jets and is now putting the money where its mouth is. Five giants in the industry were recently awarded contracts worth a whopping $4.9 billion.
General Electric, Pratt &Whitney, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrup Grumman were awarded contracts worth around $975 million each for the prototype phase of the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion Program.
Until now, only GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney were developing engines as part of the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) with the goal of eventually producing a replacement engine for the F-35 joint strike fighter.
An adaptive engine is called that way because it can operate in different modes, focusing on either peak performance or high fuel efficiency. As Alex Hollings from Sandboxxx News explains, fighter jets are traditionally equipped with engines that can guarantee performance without worrying about fuel efficiency, while cargo and other types of aircraft focus on efficiency, with diminished performance. This new adaptive engine would be able to deliver both.
(Excerpt) Read more at autoevolution.com ...
What?!? Not an electric engine?
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrup Grumman are going to develop an advanced engine? No way in hell. Who are they going to partner with? Rolls Royce? Asea Brown Boveri?
Or solar power!?
An electric jet engine powered by wing-based solar panels, win-win! 🙄
Tesla 😎
It’s not about actually developing something, its about getting the money to develop something.
All three make/subcontract stealth inlets/exhaust airframe components. that neither Pratt nor GE make.
The Stealth stuff is where they come in.
Just make sure their diversity and racial hiring standards meet the woke guidelines.
With Honeywell tying to make Helicopter engines for the Army.
They are working on a Pride-Prog Camo scheme.
Its nearly invisible when flying in sun showers.
Yep, diversity will kill this effort.
Since when have Boing [SIC], Loughead or Northrop built engines?
They've been looking at combined-cycle engines with dual-fuel and/or combined turbojet/ramjet engine for decades.
Another stupid complication cluster fluck operation.
Unreliable. Waste of money.
LOLOL...you caught me with a mouthful of red wine. You’re lucky it isn’t all over my screen!
I thought that might be the case. The “reporter” suggests that all five are going to be building engines.
If you ever happen to work in aviation and get a chance to see the RR engine factory is amazing. Especially amazing is how they make the vanes on the impellor / compressor blades on their jets engines.
I was very involved in the F-35A rollout for the Air Force. It was enlightening how many other electronic, techno, avionics, and security firms were wrapped up in Lockheed Martins program. A new generation fighter will take a dozen years to come on-line.
Boeing used to build engines. It was when Boeing, United Airlines and Pratt Whitney were one company. Until the late 1920s when the company was broken up Boeing received the western US assets, Pratt Whitney received the eastern US assets and United Airlines spun out to be United Airlines.
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