House Votes to Kill F-35 Alternate Engine ProgramFebruary 18, 2011
 House Republican freshmen and liberal Democrats teamed up to end the controversial, alternate fighter jet engine program, The New York Times reported. General Electric and Rolls-Royce were developing an alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies, is building the other version in Connecticut. The Bush and Obama administrations have tried for five years to kill the alternate engine program. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has led the charge for ending the program for both administrations, says the second engine is "an unnecessary and extravagant expense." Program supporters, however, say it will create competition and drive prices down in the long run, and serve as insurance in case of defects in rival engines. Savings or not, House members from both parties voted in support of the program if it meant jobs in their states. The alternate engine was being developed in Ohio and Indiana. Ending the program will slash $450 million from the Defense budget and save as much as $3 billion for the next few years, according to the article. Once fully developed, the Pentagon could eventually spend up to $100 billion to buy the engines for the JSF. GE plans to push the Senate to restore the funding. The company and its partner have spent $3 billion so far and need another $3 billion to complete development. Democratic senators Carl Levin of Michigan, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, have backed the engine. But military analysts told the Times that GE and Rolls-Royce now face a losing battle. They note that even if the Senate restores funding, the measure would then need approval in a House-Senate joint conference committee, which now looks highly unlikely. The F-35 is a radar-evading fighter. The Pentagon plans to spend $380 billion for 2,400 planes over 25 years — the most expensive weapons program in U.S. history. |
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