Pentagon: Troubled US F-35 Fighter Jet Needs More Engine Changes

The US Department of Defense stated that United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines has won a $33.1 million contract to adapt the engines of the exceedingly expensive and still-troubled F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines has won a $33.1 million contract to adapt the engines of the

exceedingly expensive and still-troubled F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the US Department of Defense stated.

"United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines… is being awarded a $33,1 [Million] contract… for engineering change proposals for the low-rate initial production Lot 8 propulsion system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft," the announcement stated on Tuesday.

Most of the work will involve engine changes on aircraft ordered by the US Marine Corps, and is scheduled to be completed by December 2018, the Defense Department noted.

Development of the F-35 fighter jet has already cost the Defense Department some $400 billion, and the program requires more funding before it can be declared fully operational.

The most expensive military weapon in history, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter has suffered from faulty mechanics, cyber vulnerabilities and inferiority when compared to its predecessors: it is far less maneuverable and slower than an F-16 jet.