F135 ECU EMD

The F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (JPO) intends to issue multiple follow-on contract actions on a sole source basis to Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTC), Pratt & Whitney Military Engines (P&W), East Hartford, CT, for F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) Propulsion System Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD).  The anticipated contract actions will provide F135 ECU design maturation, test article manufacturing and development, test asset procurement, validation and verification activities, weapon system integration for air system capabilities, test equipment procurements, and developmental hardware procurements for the F-35A, F-35B, and the F-35C variants.  The contract actions are anticipated from the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 through the end of calendar year 2031 and support the F-35 JPO U.S. Services, Cooperative Program Partners, and Foreign Military Sales customers.

The JPO approved and synopsized the Preliminary Design Class Justification and Approval (CJ&A) (see attached) for the F135 Engine Enhancement Program, now known as the ECU, in support of the F135 Engine Enhancement Program in October 2022.  No responses were received, and the contract for the Engine Enhancement Preliminary Design (EEPD) was awarded as a sole source award to P&W.  The EEPD contract concludes in February 2024.  The anticipated contract actions covered by this synopsis continue the work started in EEPD contract and concludes with a fully qualified F135 ECU integrated into the air system.

The overarching F135 ECU requirements are:

• Maintain overall common F135 engine and air systems compatibility to maximize long-term program efficiencies;
• Improve overall F135 engine life;
• Maximize commonality with the current compliment of support equipment for installed engine maintenance;
• Maximize commonality with current F-35 depot infrastructure;
• Increase bleed air, horsepower extraction, and heat rejection that, that a minimum, can support double the current air system cooling demands; and
• Improves F-35B Vertical Lift capabilities.

Due to the nature of the F-35 program, it is critical the F135 ECU be common across the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C variants, be Partner releasable, and be available to Foreign Military Sales customers.

This acquisition is being pursued on a sole source basis under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1: only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Government intends to award this effort to RTC, P&W, East Hartford, CT. P&W is the sole designer, developer, manufacturer, and integrator of the F135 propulsion system and related equipment. P&W alone has the experience, special skills, proprietary technical documentation, software/algorithms, and technical expertise required to furnish the supplies and services. Accordingly, P&W is the only known qualified and responsible source able to fulfill the requirements specified above without significant duplication of cost and unacceptable performance risks and schedule delays. This notice of intent to sole source is neither a request for proposal nor a solicitation of offers. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the Government. Any submitted capability statements should also mention any technical data or hardware requirements (e.g., what technical data is necessary to perform, what technical data the company already has, etc.) not otherwise addressed.  The Government reserves the right to process this procurement action on a sole source basis. For availability of F135 Propulsion System subcontracting opportunities, contact Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Pratt and Whitney Military Engines. This notice is not a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue a solicitation, make an award (or awards), or be responsible for any cost incurred by interested parties prior to award of a contract for the effort described above. Information provided herein is subject to change. The data associated with the F-35 JPO is export controlled and is not available to foreign sources or representatives.