WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - United Technologies Corp on Sunday said the forward section of the F135 engine it builds for the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet was damaged during a qualification test this weekend.
Pratt & Whitney, the United Technologies unit doing the work, said an investigation was ongoing and it was working closely with Lockheed and the Pentagon's F-35 program office to resolve the issue and find the root cause.
Spokesman Jay DeFrank said the damage was not 'mendable,' and the engine would be taken off the test line. He said the company was seeking to minimize any impact to continued testing of the engine and the F-35 flight test schedule.
The incident comes just after the Pentagon launched an independent assessment of projected cost growth in Pratt's F135 engine, and could provide fodder for proponents of a multibillion-dollar program to develop an alternate engine.
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have argued that the Pratt engine is performing well, and the fighter does not need an alternate engine that is being developed by General Electric Co and Britain's Rolls-Royce Group PLC.
Pratt said the incident occurred during a qualification test on an F135 engine built for the conventional takeoff and landing version of the fighter to be flown by the Air Force.
Pratt said a redesigned turbine section of the F135 engine was not affected. The company had to redesign the turbine section after engine problems that occurred two years ago.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa, editing by Maureen Bavdek) Keywords: UNITEDTECHNOLOGIES/ (andrea.shalal-esa@thomsonreuters.com; + 1 202 354 5807; Reuters Messaging: andrea.shalal-esa.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Pratt & Whitney, the United Technologies unit doing the work, said an investigation was ongoing and it was working closely with Lockheed and the Pentagon's F-35 program office to resolve the issue and find the root cause.
Spokesman Jay DeFrank said the damage was not 'mendable,' and the engine would be taken off the test line. He said the company was seeking to minimize any impact to continued testing of the engine and the F-35 flight test schedule.
The incident comes just after the Pentagon launched an independent assessment of projected cost growth in Pratt's F135 engine, and could provide fodder for proponents of a multibillion-dollar program to develop an alternate engine.
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have argued that the Pratt engine is performing well, and the fighter does not need an alternate engine that is being developed by General Electric Co and Britain's Rolls-Royce Group PLC.
Pratt said the incident occurred during a qualification test on an F135 engine built for the conventional takeoff and landing version of the fighter to be flown by the Air Force.
Pratt said a redesigned turbine section of the F135 engine was not affected. The company had to redesign the turbine section after engine problems that occurred two years ago.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa, editing by Maureen Bavdek) Keywords: UNITEDTECHNOLOGIES/ (andrea.shalal-esa@thomsonreuters.com; + 1 202 354 5807; Reuters Messaging: andrea.shalal-esa.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
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