GE pushes for faster fielding of Army’s ITEP, Air Force’s NGAP engines
GE executive Mark Rettig said the company’s recent foray into hypersonic technology has opened a new range of opportunities for the engine maker.
GE, Pratt clear key design milestone, begin building next-gen engine prototypes
The two companies are facing off under the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program, which is developing a powerplant for an Air Force next-generation fighter — assuming one comes to pass.
10 Breaking Defense op-eds that defined 2025
It's been a whirlwind of a year — and the defense establishment has plenty of thoughts on how it's unfolded and what might come next.
Pratt & Whitney targets 2029 for upgraded F-35 engine deliveries
“Like all programs, the continuing resolution has the potential to have an impact. We have not worked through all the details if we had a sequestration scenario,” Pratt & Whitney's Jennifer Latka said about a stalled budget on Capitol Hill. “What I know now is that our schedule is on track, that we have identified funding to continue, and that’s not to say that that situation cannot change.”
From a suspected spy balloon to a missing plane: 5 air warfare stories from 2023
"How in the hell do you lose an F-35?"
In reversal, Air Force wants prototype NGAD engines from both Pratt and GE: Official
"[R]ight now with the way we're funded, we think we can carry both [companies] through prototype, and both are leaning in fully. And so then we’ll let the prototype and test do the evaluation,” Air Force propulsion chief John Sneden said.
HAC-D chair throws cold water on new F-35 engine, won’t talk DoD supplemental until budget set
House appropriators do give money to the AETP program in their draft of fiscal 2024's defense appropriations bill, but another lawmaker says that it's just a "backup" and for research purposes.
Air Force cyber resilience in focus
Cyber resilience has become a frontline mission for the US military. Breaking Defense’s new eBook rounds up key reporting from the 2025 Alamo ACE conference with the latest developments in cyber offense and defense.
Pratt blasts Lockheed’s ‘confusing and misleading’ adaptive engine advocacy (Exclusive)
In a high-profile public spat with little precedence between the airframe and engine giants, Pratt & Whitney executives are formally accusing Lockheed Martin of prioritizing its own bottom line by seeking an adaptive engine solution for the Joint Strike Fighter.
Lockheed backs new AETP engine for F-35
“I’m going to advocate, and I do advocate, for [the Adaptive Engine Transition Program, or AETP],” said Lockheed Martin aeronautics chief Greg Ulmer, who labeled “some” current approaches to the fighter's engine modernization as “short-sighted.”
After being axed by the Pentagon, alternate F-35 engine sees funding in key NDAA draft
“We did the AETP line to keep that technology going as we head into sixth-generation aircraft that the Air Force and Navy are hoping to field in the 2030s,” a senior congressional aide said of the decision to seek continued funding for AETP.
Pratt says F-35 engine stockpile restored after GAO warned of production delays
A Pratt executive pushed back on a Government Accountability Office report that warned of production delays due to an inventory of engines being cleared out, and stated the company’s engine upgrade for the Joint Strike Fighter can support the jet's needs through Block 4.
presented by
How warfighters communicate when their missions are beyond visual line of sight
Standoff capability means warfighters stay connected and remain remotely located in a safer environment while making it harder for adversaries to target them.
GE’s lobbying message to Congress on F-35 engine: ‘Take this to the next logical milestone’
Following the Air Force’s decision to forego a new engine for the F-35, General Electric is taking its fight to Capitol Hill to keep the Adaptive Engine Transition Program alive.
Rep. Wittman on F-35 engine upgrade, KC-46 concerns and which USAF plane’s ‘time is done’
"I can tell you, this is going to get re-litigated in the committee and on the floor. And I just want to make sure people have the full scope of information to make the decision," said Wittman on the F-35's next engine.
Pentagon: F-35 engine upgrade will be ready by FY30, aiming for ‘cost share’ among partners
Asked whether the Air Force would be willing to try again on pursuing an adaptive engine if Congress provided more funding, service Secretary Frank Kendall said, "No, we've made our decision."
Advanced aircraft engine industrial base could ‘collapse’ if tech doesn’t transition: USAF official
“The perception I think that's out there is that we're maintaining, if not advancing, our military advantage in propulsion," said John Sneden, director of the Air Force's propulsion directorate. “But the reality is ... we're essentially stagnating, and we're starting to lose.”