The United States Air Force has awarded five companies $4.9 billion in contracts for the development of an adaptive engine.
The US Department of Defense announced indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts on August 19.
Each award is for design, analysis, rig testing, prototype engine testing, and weapon system integration and is worth up to $975 million.
The Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) of the Air Force is considering two potential engines for the F-35 modernization effort:
Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing have been added to the list of award recipients for next-generation aircraft.
"Any propulsion system must be built and designed specifically for the platform on which it operates."
According to Mark J. Lewis, executive director of the National Defense Industrial Association's Emerging Technologies Institute.