State legislators praise Biden’s inclusion of F135 in budget
Pratt & Whitney’s F135 fighter jet engine will continue to power the Air Force’s jet fighters as part of President Joe Biden’s 2024 budget.
Three of Connecticut’s congressional representatives praised Biden’s decision not to begin a competition that would have replaced the F135. GE Aerospace had been pushing for a new engine, according to flightglobal.com.
The competition would be part of the Adaptive Engine Transition Program.
“I am proud President Biden’s budget will support the modernization, instead of replacement, of the most advanced, reliable and capable production fighter engine the world has ever known — the F135,” said U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1, in a statement.
“For the last decade, the Pratt & Whitney engine has exceeded expectations and powered the aircraft through three major air vehicle and weapons payloads upgrades,” said Larson, co-chairman of the bipartisan Joint Strike Fighter Caucus.
“While the fight to protect the 27,000 F135 jobs across the state of Connecticut is not over, President Biden’s decision to support the F135 engine instead of opening a new engine competition protects these jobs and hundreds of Connecticut small businesses,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Rosa Delauro, D-3, said in the statement that she was thrilled with Biden’s budget proposal.
“This decision will keep thousands of manufacturing jobs right where they belong — in Connecticut,” she said. “Over the last two years, I was proud to have secured nearly $200 million in total to revamp the capabilities of the F-135 engine as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
“This is a win for the warfighter, and for the taxpayer, as Pratt & Whitney has reduced the cost of the F135 engine by 50 percent since production began while improving performance to twice its original specifications for years.”
She called the engine “a major driver of economic growth in Connecticut and around the country.”
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, a member of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, said, “Secretary Kendall and the Air Force have made the exact right call about the modernization of the F-35 engine.
“Their decision makes clear that most cost-efficient and reliable propulsion system for the F-35 is the F135 engine built by the hardworking men and women of Pratt & Whitney. Upgrading the existing engine, rather than a costly alternative engine, is the most practical approach for an already proven sustainment network and variant-common option to power the F-35.”
The F135 program employs more than 53,000 workers in 36 states, including 27,000 jobs and almost 100 suppliers in Connecticut, according to the statements.
Courtney also said, of the submarine portions of the budget details released, that they make “clear that this budget goes all in to boost our undersea capabilities and submarine industrial base.”
“This budget is a clear validation of the work done by thousands of shipbuilders in eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, Virginia and across the country in the supply chain,” Courtney said. “And, on the heels of today’s announcement of the undersea leg of the new AUKUS security agreement, this budget sends a resounding message here at home and abroad that the Biden Administration is committed to increasing the capacity of our submarine shipyards and our nationwide supply chain.”
The budget includes more than $300 million for “two new critical construction projects at Submarine Base New London,” according to Courtney.