U.S. industrial firm Honeywell said on Tuesday it has successfully demonstrated the ability to upgrade the current cooling capacity of the F-35’s Power and Thermal Management System (PTMS) to 80kW.
As noted by the company, this upgrade surpasses the current 32kW cooling requirement of the U.S. military and its allied partners.
The achievement was realized through the utilization of a Digital Twin of the PTMS, leveraging extensive data from over 2,500 hours of performance testing and more than 750,000 hours of in-flight experience. This innovation not only meets the present operational demands of the F-35 but also aligns with the future requirements outlined by the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (JPO).
Recognized for its reliability and low-risk solution, Honeywell’s PTMS has been deployed since 2006, with over 1,000 units delivered and 750,000 flight hours logged. This extensive track record underscores Honeywell’s commitment to providing cutting-edge technology while maintaining operational safety.
Matt Milas, President of Defense and Space at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, emphasized the importance of this achievement, stating, “Today, we have successfully demonstrated that we not only meet the F-35’s current operational needs, but we are ready to service future F-35 modernization upgrades without the need for expensive changes to the aircraft.”
Furthermore, Matt Schacht, Vice President of Engineering at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, highlighted the strategic advantage of maintaining the existing PTMS architecture, ensuring compatibility with critical aircraft components while enhancing cooling capacity for future aircraft generations.
