Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall Makes The Right Call On F-35 Fighter Propulsion (From Forbes)

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall disclosed on March 13 that his service will not pursue development of a new engine for the F-35A fighter. The case had been made that a more powerful engine was needed to support Block 4 upgrades to the airframe. Kendall decided that upgrading the existing F135 powerplant would be sufficient to do the job, and that an all-new engine was not affordable. This was the right choice, given the lack of support for a new engine in the sea services and among overseas partners. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.