Pratt this week will begin testing a design change to fix the problem that caused a massive engine failure on a F-35 fighter jet in June.
The failure of Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine grounded the entire F-35 fleet for several weeks this summer and prevented the newest and most advanced U.S. warplane from making its international debut at two UK air shows. Flights have resumed but with certain restrictions on speed and other maneuvers.
Deliveries of the F135 engine by Pratt, a unit of United Technologies, have been on hold since the June 23 incident at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida when an engine on an Air Force F-35A broke apart and caught fire as it was preparing to take off for a training flight.
The testing would be done at Pratt's facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. The tests had been expected to start last week, but were delayed while engineers grappled with how to control the vibration of the engine as it was being tested, according to one of the sources.
reuters
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