Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, was awarded a $6.6 billion F135 production contract on March 31, 2026 to definitize Lot 18 and provide for Lot 19 production. The F135 powers all three F-35 variants. The contract pairs with Lockheed Martin's $12.5B Lots 18-19 airframe contract. Coverage from RTX and F35.com.

What's in the contract

Production of CTOL, CV, and STOVL F135 engines for U.S. and international customers; spare engines and modules; program management, tooling, engineering, and production support. Deliveries align with F-35 airframe deliveries through 2028.

The economic footprint

66,000U.S. jobs supported by F135 program
47U.S. states with F135 supply-chain footprint
$9B+2025 domestic economic impact
1,400+F135 production engines delivered to date

Subcontracting

Pratt & Whitney's tier-2 supply chain spans specialty alloys, single-crystal turbine blades, ceramic-matrix composites, fuel systems, and full-authority digital engine control electronics. Firms in any of these specialties should map current capacity against the Lots 18-19 demand curve.

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