Comments on: JSF Engine Pork Continues

By: Rick Flaherty

Rick Flaherty — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:16:50 +0000

The F-22 was a piece of crap. The f-119 was a piece of crap. Same crappy engine maker. Same crappy airframe designer. Go figure where the real pork is.

By: Benjamin Dover

Benjamin Dover — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 19:44:30 +0000

“A big concern is that the PW engine has been struggling to meet it’s performance goals while the GE/RR engine is showing better performance. “
Check your facts Darryl:
GE doesn’t even have an airworthy engine yet.
Pratt’s is already flying and exceeding performance specs.….

By: Darryl

Darryl — Tue, 22 May 2007 20:00:14 +0000

There are many reasons for the second engine. Competition between the engine manufactures will keep the cost to the government down, but reliability is the most important reason. The engine is the most complex part of a fighter jet and history has shown us on many occasions that one engine will have a problem in service that would require grounding the aircraft. With two different totally independent interchangeable engines the likelihood of the aircraft being grounded is significantly lowered.
There are many aircraft around the world that threaten are air supremacy the JSF and the Raptor will be the aircraft for the next thirty years. We can not depend on early eighties technology. Airframe fatigue over the years. They will not last forever.
The UK has interest in the second engine because it is not a GE engine, it is a GE & Rolls Royce (of the UK) engine. A big concern is that the PW engine has been struggling to meet it’s performance goals while the GE/RR engine is showing better performance.

By: orionhawk

orionhawk — Mon, 07 May 2007 20:07:05 +0000

the M16 is made in the US. South Carolina, I think. The manufacturer is FNH-USA, the American-owned-and-run division of Belgian FN-H. The same factory also makes M249’s and M240’s.

By: panthersny

panthersny — Mon, 07 May 2007 17:36:38 +0000

The problem with a second engine is really the life cycle cost associated with maintaining this 2nd engine.
The Navy, AF, Marines will now have to support 2 engines = $$$$$$
Also, from what I know right now, an aircraft with a P&W engine cannot accept an GE engine without some serious work.…unless I am mistaken.
We had better not deploy an F-35B squadron on an LHD with 2 sets of engines.…there isn’t enough space as it is on our ships. Just imagine 6 spare engines of both types on a Carrier wing!!!!!

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sun, 06 May 2007 05:23:00 +0000

Oink! Oink! Pigs acn’t fly either. How about an updated version of the M-16 instead that our troops really need instead of another boondoggle.Oh, and one more thing, we need a new rifle made in the USA instead of out-sourced.

By: esmoore

esmoore — Fri, 04 May 2007 22:37:47 +0000

The 2 articles I listed in my previous post didn’t
show up as links, but rather as regular text.
Is there some trick to turning them into links?
Or do readers just have to copy & paste into their
browsers to see the articles?

By: elizzar

elizzar — Fri, 04 May 2007 20:01:22 +0000

hi all. i believe the british get ‘prissy’ because the alternative engine involves rolls royce, and was promised as part of the deal that saw britain become the only tier 1 partner in the jsf project. whilst they may have not invested as much as the usa, they have invested several billions of dollars. since the alternative engine would provide / protect jobs in the uk, they are annoyed it keeps getting dropped by the pentagon. [I await to be corrected on all points by the DT readership ;-)].
also it does make some sense, since it may help force rising jsf costs down (ie. competition versus monopoly) and as another comment noted provide an alternative supplier should something happen to the primary engine maker.
incidentally, the only reason the uk is buying the jsf is for the (still not confirmed) new aircraft carriers. i would have prefferred we had gone for a conventional catapult carrier design with navalised eurofighters/awacs/helicopters myself.

By: bespoke

bespoke — Fri, 04 May 2007 19:36:02 +0000

Doesn’t the UK get pissy every time we talk about canceling the second engine? (Not sure of their interest, though.) They are the second biggest contributor to the JSF program, so I would think that would carry some weight.

By: Stephen Trimble

Stephen Trimble — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:41:52 +0000

George,
You know, that seems to ring a bell. Well, shows what I know!
Thanks for the info.