We were first assigned the Asia-Pacific Region’s F135 Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) depot responsibility in 2015. Over the last five years, we’ve worked closely with Pratt & Whitney, the F-35 Joint Program Office in the U.S., and the Australian Government through the Joint Strike Fighter Division in Canberra, Australia to develop a world-class MRO&U facility, technical workforce and test facility that has the capacity and capability to sustain the F135 engine for the Royal Australian Air Force and other F-35 program participants in the region.  

We are excited to announce that the first F135 engine module repair is now complete.

O Sung Kwon, Vice President, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines Sustainment Operations, congratulated us on the milestone, saying:

“We congratulate TAE Aerospace for demonstrating the capability to induct and repair a F135 fan module for disassembly, cleaning, inspection and assembly at its facility in Australia.”

“This represents a significant sustainment milestone for the F135 program and is a testament to the hard work of the joint government and industry team that made it happen. With more than 500 F135s operating around the world today, we remain focused on standing up an effective global sustainment network that will support the F135 throughout its lifecycle.”

Our activity over the last 12 months has ramped up significantly with training commencing in mid-2019 and completion of our new 15,000 sqm Turbine Engine Maintenance Facility (TEMF) in December 2019. The state of the art facility has been purpose built for the F135 and the other engines – F404, F414 and AGT1500 – that we maintain today. The completion of the first F135 fan module signifies that we are one step closer to achieving Initial Depot Capability and regularly delivering modules to the F-35 Global Support Solution (GSS).

Our CEO, Andrew Sanderson, said:

“Completing the fan module is a great milestone and the start of a significant capability here in the Asia-Pacific region. We’re looking forward to working with Pratt & Whitney as part of the GSS to support the F135 engine for the Asia-Pacific’s regional F-35 fleets including those flown by Australia, South Korea, Japan and the U.S. forces within the region.”

“The next step is completing qualification on the F135 power module in late 2020 and getting into full production at our new facility.”

Pratt & Whitney’s combat-proven F135 – which powers all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II – is the world’s most advanced fighter engine, delivering more than 40,000 lbs. of thrust and unmatched advances in safety, performance, and reliability. Backed by decades of engineering and development experience, the F135 features 5th Generation power and stealth capabilities as well as advanced prognostics and health management systems – all of which provide the warfighter with a technological advantage.