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Air Force

F135 Engine Core Upgrade Set For Key Design Review Next Month, As CCA Engine Picture Clarifies

Frank Wolfe

Monday, July 27th, 2026

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F135 Engine Core Upgrade Set For Key Design Review Next Month, As CCA Engine Picture Clarifies

Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of an Anduril Industries YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototype flying over the Mojave Desert after recent live-fire testing.

DAYTON, Ohio--Pratt & Whitney's [RTX] Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for the F-35 fighter's F135 engine is to have a critical design review (CDR) in August. After CDR, ECU is to undergo ground testing "late next year, and then from there flight testing in the 2030 time frame--we're on target," John Sneden, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's (AFLCMC) program acquisition executive for propulsion, told reporters on Monday at AFLCMC's annual industry days conference. In September 2024, the Defense Department…

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