PW cry for help with the F-35 program

The maker of the F135 motor for the F-35, Pratt and Whitney is looking at a lot of lost money.

Back in the day (example 2003) everyone expected this kind of money.

Instead (due to marketing ruling the day over sound engineering management) we have this.

Some history: the then Joint Strike Fighter program was sold to Congress as a two-vendor solution for motors that were plug and play: Pratt's F135 and GE/Rolls F136.

The two-motor vendor=value language is in F-35 briefings at least up to the year 2009.

Back when General Davis was the DOD F-35 project head, the program was suffering cost control issues unrelated to motors (for the most part). Davis--trying to look good...hint many times the job of a DOD project manager is to make themselves look good above all else--helped to start the effort to cancel the GE/Rolls F136 motor. That and strong PW lobbying, demonizing the GE/Rolls F136 was put into effect. The con worked. Congress believed it.

Along with that, with the cancellation of the F-22, the PW F119 motor production is gone. Military motor production for PW has suffered a big hit. There will not be thousands of F-35s made (and thus thousands of PW F135 motors).

GE/Rolls still makes the lift appliances that attach to the $27M PW motor for the F-35B STOVL.