F-35 STOVL engine hits milestone

Pratt and Whitney's F135 engine used in the vertical take-off and landing version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter passed a testing milestone known as initial service release. That means the engine is now certified as the production configuration. The company received initial service release for the conventional take off and landing/carrier variant (CTOL/CV) in February 2010. The Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) version of the F-35 will be used by the Marine Corps. Pratt and Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company. (Source: Pratt and Whitney, 01/03/11) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the JSF training center.