Dennis Jarvi, president of Rolls Royce’s US operations, said Wednesday the F136 engine that the company is developing, together with partner General Electric, would save US taxpayers billions of dollars and provide the F-35 strike fighter with a more robust option for the future. “It is important to the warfighter, the industrial base, and the taxpayer that this program continues to exist,” Jarvi told reporters during a briefing in Washington, D.C., reported CongressDaily. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to halt F136 development, saying the Pentagon cannot afford to sponsor both it and Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine for the F-35. He’s said he would recommend that President Obama veto any defense legislation that includes F136 funding. Jarvi countered this by saying the F136 is performing well in testing and would offer performance advantages over the F135. Congressional support for the F136 remains strong.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.