GE Won’t Let Alternate Engine Go QuietlySeptember 30, 2011
It's turning into the "little engine that just won't quit." Despite the Obama administration and the Pentagon refusing to reconsider GE Aviation's request to develop an alternative engine for the Joint Strike Fighter, GE continues to lobby for reinstatement, according to an article in Cincinnati.com. GE and Rolls Royce are developing the alternate engine while Pratt & Whitney actually won the contract. The company stands to make $100 billion over several decades. GE not only wants to tap into that spending, but also wants to demonstrate that its alternate engine—the F136 program—is a valid technology to integrate into its commercial engines. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates stuck to his guns, calling the alternate engine program a waste of taxpayer money. But congressional supporters insist that an alternate engine will reduce procurement costs in the long run. It's unclear whether Leon Panetta, the new Defense Secretary, might reinstate the project. Just last week, the Government Accountability Office released a report that said an updated assessment of the cost of developing an alternate engine made sense. Sen. Carl Levin, a Democrat from Michigan, had requested the report. "Congress and the Pentagon should not make pivotal decisions without timely and accurate information, and the GAO report makes a strong case for an updated assessment of alternative engine costs," Levin said. "I continue to believe that DoD (Department of Defense) choked off funding for the alternative engine without fully analyzing or justifying its decision, and this report is further evidence that DoD must do a better job of developing a business case." |
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