Pratt & Whitney Awarded $53.8 Million Navy Order for F-35 Engine Fixes

The RTX unit received a $53.8 million order to engineer corrections for the F135 engine that powers F-35 jets flown by the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and allied nations, the largest award in the company's record.

First Published: July 27, 2026, 1:22 PM ET

EAST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT — Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, theRTX C orp.unit that builds the sole engine for the F-35 fighter, received a $53.8 million Navy order to engineer fixes for that powerplant, as announced on war.gov.

The fixed-price incentive and cost-plus-fixed-fee order, valued at $53,755,700, funds non-recurring engineering for the F135 engine program. The work supports early identification, development and qualification of corrections to potential and actual operational issues, according to war.gov. Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, issued the order against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement, and the contract was not competed.

RTX Corp., based in Arlington, Virginia, ranks among the world’s largest aerospace and defense manufacturers by revenue, reporting $88.6 billion in sales for 2025 according to wikipedia.org. Pratt & Whitney, headquartered in East Hartford, Connecticut, is the world’s second largest commercial aircraft engine maker, holding a 35% market share, according to wikipedia.org. The subsidiary calls itself “Dependable Engines” and says its engines “help connect people, grow economies, and defend freedom,” according to aaco.org.

The order aims to improve operational readiness and cut maintenance and life cycle costs across the F-35 fleet. Beneficiaries span the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, F-35 Cooperative Program Partners and Foreign Military Sales customers. Partner nations carry part of the bill, with Cooperative Program Partner funds of $22.3 million obligated at award alongside $14 million in fiscal 2026 Navy research funds. The single-source award concentrates the work in Pratt & Whitney’s home state, a benefit to Connecticut engineers and a reminder that no rival builds the F135.

The award ranks as the largest ever handed to Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, surpassing the unit’s prior record of $42.1 million. It marks the company’s second contract of 2026, lifting its total for the year to $95.9 million, and stands as the sixth Defense Department contract awarded in Connecticut this year. The figure remains modest within the Navy portfolio, which ranged from a low of $9 million to a high of $8 billion year to date. It was one of four Defense Department contracts issued nationwide on July 27, 2026.

For the average American, the spending flows into a program that anchors thousands of aerospace jobs and shapes the readiness of aircraft that many allied air forces fly. Most of the effort lands in Connecticut, where 74% of the work will be performed, with smaller shares in Florida, Indiana, Maine and Puerto Rico.

Engine maturation orders such as this have happened before. Pratt & Whitney has fielded the F135 since the F-35 entered service, and follow-on engineering work to address heat, durability and cost has recurred as the fleet logs flight hours. The effort continues engine maturation and evaluates component life limits based on operational experience, according to war.gov.

Naval Air Systems Command will oversee performance and payment through completion. The work will finish in December 2028, and no earlier decision date on additional follow-on work has been announced.

Pratt & Whitney’s ties to Navy engines reach back a century, long before the F-35. The company’s first product, the 425-horsepower R-1340 Wasp, passed the U.S. Navy qualification test in March 1926, and the Navy ordered 200 by that October, according to wikipedia.org. That single Wasp order launched a firm that would power record flights by Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post and grow into a global engine maker, cementing a naval partnership that endures in the F135 program today.

This contract represents the 2nd contract awarded to RTX Corp., Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $95,852,641. It is also the 6th Department of Defense contract awarded in Connecticut during 2026. This is the largest contract ever awarded to RTX Corp., Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, surpassing the company’s previous record of $42,096,941, and it is notable within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,046,496 and maximum of $8,000,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 4 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 27, 2026.