F-15 to F-35 Engines

 


For this weeks blog post I did not have to look anywhere but instead listen.  What I mean by that is the F-15 and F-35’s taking off outside my house is what gave me inspiration to write about what I know and love, jet engines.  The F-15 carries around 2 F100-220/229 and has been doing so since the 1970’s and it is my job to tear down, inspect, rebuild, and test these engines making sure they can stay in a Jet as long as possible.  Pratt and Whitney also had this in mind as they constantly update and revise certain things inside the engine whether it’s a Turbine, Stator, or even an engine computer, they are constantly learning and tweaking the engine to make it more efficient and stronger.  They also used this motor to help develop other motors, to include the F-135 engine.

 

            With the new F-135 engine, producing double the thrust of a 229 (roughly 43,000 lbf) it also derived in a way from a 229.  As Airforce technology explains “Components from F119 and F100-229 engines were used to create the F100-229-plus demonstrator engine, which went onto prove Bevilaqua’s lift fan concept and ultimately lead to the development of the F135 for use on Lockheed Martin’s F-35” (Liam, 2012).  Although this article is old, they still are taking pressures, temperatures, and air speeds from the old -229 to help better and improve the F-135 engine.  This can be seen in today with upgrading the F-135 engine to meet the new demands of the F-35.  “Lockheed expressed no preference for the two AETP options, the XA100 engine developed by GE Aerospace, or the XA101 engine developed by Pratt & Whitney, a division of Raytheon. Both promise significant improvements over the current F135, with double the cooling power, about 30 percent more range, and 20 percent more thrust on demand” (Tirpack,2023).  This could have only been done by identifying flaws in current F-135 and -229 engines to see what there limits are and how to continuously improve. Without the -229 the F-135 would not have been such a success as it is and continue to supply airpower to for F-35.

Reference

Liam, & Liam. (2012, April 25). Inside the F-35’s engines: powering the fifth generation. Airforce Technology. https://www.airforce-technology.com/features/featurelockheed-martin-f35-pratt-whitney-engine-analysis/?cf-view

Tirpak, J. (2023, June 26). As Lockheed and Pratt trade barbs, F-35 JPO insists engine upgrade is best option. Air & Space Forces Magazine. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/lockheed-pratt-engine-barbs-f-35-jpo/



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