F-35 Cancelled, then what ?

[Engines]

Fat,

It's true that the RR/GE team offered to continue F136 development at their own cost, but only up to a specified point. The F-35 programme and the DoD would have had to cover the full development costs as well as the costs of qualifying the F-35 with the F136.

As I've posted before, I had a brief but interesting 'ringside seat' on the alternate engine issue in the late 90s. There was a real tussle within the DoD between the engine technical experts, who were convinced that their funding and guidance was giving P&W the right solution, and the propulsion acquisition guys who were scarred veterans of the 'Engine Wars' of the 1970s and 80s, especially the PW100 saga. The JSFPO convened a special panel to review the situation, and at that time the alternate engine programme got a 'pass'.

Sadly, the UK MoD declined to positively endorse the F136, and left the issue to the USG. The result that was when the Obama administration came in and were looking for cost reductions to offset other areas of F-35 cost growth, the UK's late efforts to save the F136 were not viewed as credible.

Anyway, water under the bridge, it's the F135 and P&W to sort the issue out.

Hope this lot is of passing interest to someone,

Engines