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Pratt & Whitney has landed a US$1.6 billion ($2.43 billion) sustainment contract to continue supporting the F135 engine, the powerhouse behind all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II.
Awarded as an undefinitised contract action, the deal covers a suite of essential sustainment activities for US and international operators. This includes depot-level maintenance and repair, replenishment of spare parts, material management, engineering and technical support, propulsion system integration and ongoing software sustainment.
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The RAAF currently operates a fleet of 72 F-35A aircraft, the last nine having arrived in December 2024.
Kinda Eastwood, Pratt & Whitney’s vice president for F135 Sustainment, said the contract underpins global readiness at a time of rising strategic uncertainty.
“Investing in F135 sustainment keeps allied forces ready to meet current and future threats,” Eastwood said.
“F-35 operators worldwide depend on the F135 for the power and performance their missions demand, and this award helps us maintain readiness rates that enable the warfighter to accomplish their critical missions.”
The F135 sustainment enterprise spans a sizeable global network, supporting maintenance, logistics and technical operations across multiple international depots, 39 operating bases and 12 ships. This distributed model, the company said, is designed to ensure rapid support and resilience wherever F-35s are deployed.
More than 1,300 F135 engines have now been delivered to a customer base spanning 20 allied nations, forming the backbone of a shared sustainment system that underwrites the program’s scale and interoperability.
The award also sets the conditions for the forthcoming F135 Engine Core Upgrade, a program intended to boost power, cooling and reliability to meet the F-35’s evolving capability roadmap.
Pratt & Whitney said the existing sustainment infrastructure will give partner nations a cost-effective, proven pathway to integrate the upgraded engine and maintain fleet readiness for decades.
