Jane Edwards
The U.S. Marine Corps has completed an initial operational test of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft fitted with Pratt & Whitney-built F135 engines on board a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship.
The six F-35B fighter planes were able to carry out at least 100 takeoffs and landings during the 10-day flight demonstration, Pratt & Whitney said Monday.
Mark Buongiorno, vice president of F135 propulsion system at Pratt & Whitney, said the OT-1’s completion indicates that F135 engine is on schedule for the military branch’s initial operational capability phase.
Pratt & Whitney said it also transported a power module, the heaviest component of the F135 engine, and its protective carrier to USS Wasp using a shipping platform it developed with Connecticut-based Reno Machine Tool and Bell Boeing’s MV-22 Osprey military aircraft.
