How do we detect and defeat enemy drones?
Learn about the portfolio of sensors and effectors for the complete counter-UAS mission at Raytheon, an RTX business.
F135 repair and upgrade facility goes operational in Australia
TAE Aerospace will support engines for all F-35 operators in the Asia-Pacific region. (Photo: TAE Aerospace)
TAE Aerospace sets up the first Asia-Pacific engine maintenance depot for F-35 engines.
TAE Aerospace has achieved initial depot capability status to repair Pratt & Whitney F135 engine fan and power modules on all variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, thereby placing F-35 engine maintenance capability in the Asia-Pacific region for the first time.
As an operational F135 engine depot outside of the US, TAE Aerospace will support engines for all F-35 operators in the Asia-Pacific region under the F-35 Global Support System.
Australia has ordered 72 of the F135 engines, according to Shephard Defence Insight.
The latest development also helps meet Australian government goals of establishing sovereign industrial capabilities, said TAE Aerospace CEO Andrew Sanderson.
O Sung Kwon, VP of Pratt & Whitney Military Engines Sustainment Operations, noted that standing up regional (MRO&U) depots ‘is an integral part of the enterprise’s strategy to accelerate capacity growth across the F135 MRO&U network to exceed programme requirements’.
Since 2015, TAE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and the Australian federal government have delivered MRO and upgrade initiatives such as the completion of the first F135 fan module repair (February 2020) and completion of the first F135 power module repair (May 2021) outside the US.
Attributes of the fifth-generation F135 compared with fourth-generation engines include more than 40,000lb of thrust; a 50% increase in thermal management capacity; and a low observable signature enabling the F-35 to conduct operations in modern A2AD environments.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Air Warfare
-
![How do we detect and defeat enemy drones?]()
-
![BAE Systems lauds counter-UAS drone progression with live fire trials]()
BAE Systems lauds counter-UAS drone progression with live fire trials
The US-based tests successfully demonstrated the first live trial of a precision guided missile from a modified TRV-150 drone which destroyed both aerial and ground targets.
-
![India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype]()
India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype
India’s stealth fighter ambitions gain fresh momentum as HAL opens the door to private sector involvement in AMCA Mk1A structural assembly, with strategic support growing for next-gen propulsion and sensor technologies.
-
![BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027]()
BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027
A key part in the trinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), this is the first crewed supersonic aircraft demonstrator to be built and developed in the UK in more than 40 years.
-
![Kratos Defense makes European CCA push with Airbus partnership]()
Kratos Defense makes European CCA push with Airbus partnership
Kratos’ XQ-58A Valkyrie will be equipped with an Airbus-made mission system to be offered as a ‘European’ collaborative combat aircraft option to the German Air Force.
-
![Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights]()
Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights
The munitions variant of the Barrauda-100 autonomous air vehicle is being tested for the US Army’s High-Speed Manoeuvrable Missile (HSMM) testbed programme, with further flight tests expected in 2026.
