FlightGlobal reports, “GE Aerospace is continuing to press the US Air Force (USAF) to procure a new powerplant for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fifth-generation fighter, rather than opting to perform core upgrades on the existing F-35 powerplant.” GE Aerospace claims that its XA100 adaptive-cycle engine, built for the F-35 under the USAF’s Adaptive Engine Transition Program, provides “transformational benefits” in range, thrust, acceleration and fuel consumption. GE Edison Works General Manager David Tweedie said on February 16, “We really think AETP clearly is the solution. And we are ready to meet that challenge and continue to move forward.” According to FlightGlobal, this “push comes ahead of the expected release in March of President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal – a document that could reveal the Pentagon’s plans for addressing shortfalls with the F-35’s existing, P&W-made F135 powerplant.”
More Info (FlightGlobal)
Tag: fifth-generation fighter
Russia Unveils Prototype “Fifth-Generation” Fighter
Reuters reports that on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin “inspected a prototype of a new Sukhoi fifth-generation fighter” that Russia “unveiled at its annual MAKS air show with an eye on export markets.” The project Checkmate fighter “is likely to be touted as a rival to the U.S. F-35 stealth fighter, said Oleg Panteleyev, head of the Aviaport analytical agency.” The AP reports that Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov “voiced hope that the new fighter,” which is expected to make its first flight in 2023, “could be sold to India, Vietnam and African nations, adding that foreign customers are expected to order at least 300 such aircraft. Borisov noted that one foreign customer he didn’t name has already expressed a strong interest in the new jet.”
Full Story (Reuters); More Info (Associated Press)