Defense
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed an annual defense spending bill on a bipartisan vote Thursday, sending legislation to the president that includes billions for Connecticut defense sector manufacturers.
Pratt & Whitney will be the sole provider of the F135 military jet engine, following a decades-long push by Connecticut’s congressional delegation to secure funding and protect jobs in the state.
The Department of Defense announced this week it is awarding multiple follow-on contracts that will extend the company’s work in supplying engines on a sole basis for the next seven years. The contracts for the Engine Core Upgrade program will start a few months into fiscal year 2024 and run until the end of 2031.
Pentagon officials announced this week that East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney will remain the sole source for upgrades of the F-35 jet engine.
U.S. Reps. John Larson, D-1, Joe Courtney, D-2 and Rosa DeLauro, D-3, jointly announced the Pentagon's decision. Prior to the announcement, Pratt & Whitney was awarded a $66 million contract in July to support engine modernization efforts.
Washington, D.C. - Today, Reps. John B. Larson (CT-01), Joe Courtney (CT-02), and Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) praised the Pentagon’s announcement that Pratt & Whitney will be the sole source for F-35 engine upgrade work.
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) released the below statement on the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
East Hartford, CT – Today, Reps. John B. Larson (CT-01), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), and Joe Courtney (CT-02) applauded the Department of Defense’s (DOD) announcement of a $66 million contract with East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney to support F135 engine modernization efforts.
East Hartford, CT - Today, Reps. John B. Larson (CT-01), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), and Joe Courtney (CT-02) released the following statement praising President Biden’s decision to pursue F135 engine modernization in his 2024 budget instead of starting a new competition for an Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) engine to power the F-35 fighter jet.
Rep. John B. Larson wrote the following op-ed that appeared in Aviation Week:
Over the past year, the public debate on how best to modernize the F-35’s propulsion system has dragged on. We have heard from the military services, the partners and the contractors—no shortage of analyses have looked closely at the potential pathways ahead, which will have major implications for the entire program. The facts and data are clear. It is time for us to modernize the F-35’s existing engine, the F135, and dispel the notion of a second engine once again.
Hartford, CT – Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) led a bipartisan letter with 35 of his colleagues in support of the F135 engine. Addressed to Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante, the letter opposes the Air Force’s plan to pursue the risky Advanced Engine Technology Program (AETP) engine as a replacement for the existing F135 engine, which is the safest and most capable fighter engine ever produced.