Six F136 engines are scheduled for testing this year, to measure engine performance and endurance as the engine for the F-35 aircraft, GE said.
The F136 engine is designed specifically for the F-35. The F-35 program is managed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, headquarters to Air Force Materiel Command, the U.S. Air Force’s logistics arm.
The afterburner tests were conducted in an advanced testing facility at GE, the company said.
“All major objectives have been reached during this phase of testing, which included an engine nozzle common to both F-35 engine programs,” the company said. “The Joint Strike Fighter aircraft was designed from its inception to include interchangeability with the F136 engine.”
F136 engine development is being led at GE Aviation near Cincinnati; and at Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis and Bristol, UK.