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DefDex

Engine · Air

F135

Pratt & Whitney propulsion family for all three F-35 variants.

by Pratt & Whitney

FieldedEngineAirFirst delivery2009
rtx.com/prattwhitney/products/military-engines/f135
A Pratt & Whitney F135 engine mounted in a sea-level test cell at Arnold Engineering Development Complex

Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Jill Pickett · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military)

Milestones20012009
  1. Contract awardF135 system development and demonstration contract, confirmed
  2. First deliveryFirst production F135 engine delivered, confirmed

Timeline2

  1. Contract awardConfirmed

    F135 system development and demonstration contract

  2. First deliveryConfirmed

    First production F135 engine delivered

The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Cost to the Government

  • Total acquisition costConfirmed
    $84.10B
    Then-year $

    F-35 engine subprogram (F135), Dec 2023 SAR via CRS; ~$61B in constant FY2012 dollars.

    Source
  • Unit cost (per unit)Confirmed
    $18.0M
    Dollar basis not stated

    Average cost per F135 engine per the Dec 2023 SAR as summarized by CRS (dollar basis not stated).

    Source
  • Contract unit priceEstimated
    $22.6M
    Estimate / observation: 2026-03-30 · Then-year $ · 296 units

    Lots 18-19 F135 combined value $6.6B (Lot 18 definitized + Lot 19 production, announced March 30, 2026); Air & Space Forces Magazine presumes ~296 engines (JPO told Breaking Defense Lot 19 is ~150 engines) giving ~$22.6M each. Includes initial spares, modules and production support; quantity is an approximation.

    Source
Earlier cost observations (1)
  • F135 · Contract unit price · $20.4M
    Estimate / observation: 2025-08-22 · Then-year $ · 141 units

    Lot 18 F135 undefinitized award announced Aug 22, 2025: $2.88B for 141 engines (Pratt says includes spares); average ~$20.4M per engine per Air & Space Forces Magazine.

    Source

Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.

Used In1