The first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine produced by Pratt & Whitney at a new plant in Florida has been completed and delivered to Italy, the company said Tuesday.
Pratt & Whitney, a division of
United Technologies [UTX], has been building the F135 engines at its facility in Middletown, Conn., but opened a new site in West Palm Beach, Fla. in April 2013 to create extra capacity to build the engines as production of the F-35 picks up.
The first one produced in West Palm Beach was the 137th for the program. Italy, an international partner on the F-35, took delivery of the engine in Cameri, Italy, Pratt & Whitney said.
“This new assembly capability, in addition to the existing comprehensive test capability at the West Palm Beach site, provides added capacity as the F135 program ramps up production,” Pratt & Whitney said.