Pratt & Whitney F100

An F100 engine for the F-15 is being tested

The Pratt & Whitney F100 is a turbofan engine with an afterburner and a low bypass ratio . It is for use in fighter aircraft designed with all variants of the US Corporation Pratt & Whitney are manufactured.

development

The F100 was originally intended as an engine for the F-14 Tomcat and the F-15 Eagle and was called "JTF22". However, the US Navy later withdrew from the program, so the US Air Force took over the financing. In February 1970 this basic design was selected as the future engine for the winner of the ongoing FX competition, which was to produce the successor to the F-4 Phantom II . Since McDonnell Douglas won the competition with the F-15A Eagle , this became the first platform for the F100 engine.

In June 2008, the F100 engine family passed the 21 million operating hours mark.

variants

F100-PW-100

The original engine of the F-15A / B. After more than 3,000 test hours had been completed by February 1972, the first flight took place on July 27, 1972. By 1985, 3,500 engines had completed two million flight hours.

F100-PW-200

This variant has been modified for use in the F-16A / B Fighting Falcon . A reserve system for fuel regulation was installed, the cooling system was revised and an expansion of the compressor air inlet was added.

F100-PW-220

An F100-PW-220 engine

This version was revised for the "Alternate Fighter Engine" competition, which should produce an alternative engine for the F-15 and F-16. The engine now has digital control systems, novel materials and a more advanced concept for engine cooling. It entered service in October 1985 after successfully completing 4,000 mission cycles (equivalent to about nine years of normal operation). The engine powers all F-15C / D machines and some F-16C / D. As part of the Common Configuration Improvement Program (CCIP) for the F-16, the Air Force ordered $ 117 million in new parts in June 1999 that have a longer life and higher afterburner thrust.

F100-PW-220E

Designates all -100 and -200 variants that have been brought to the -220 standard. The Air Force has upgraded all -100 and -200 engines to this level.

F100-PW-220LE

Another upgrade with improved materials and cooling, as well as a longer service life and reduced maintenance.

F100-PW-229

This variant represents a comprehensive new development of the F100 engine. The improvements include a digital FADEC system, a modern fan and an improved compressor stage. The service life of the components has also been extended and maintenance has been simplified. Thanks to a shorter combustion chamber, the entire engine is just as long as the previous models, despite a longer compressor section, which makes replacement considerably easier, as no changes have to be made to the airframe .

Commissioning for the F-15 took place in 1991, for the F-16 in 1993. From May 1997, tests were carried out with a 3D thrust vector control for the F-15 and F-16.

F100-PW-220P

An upgrade for all engines before the -229 variant. As much technology as possible was adopted from the -229 engine, such as the advanced fan, the FADEC system and the improved fuel management for the afterburner mode.

F100-PW-229A

Originally known as F100-PW-229IPE + ("Increased Performance Engine"), this variant was developed to equip the F-15 and F-16 with a significantly more powerful engine. The main feature is the newly designed fan, which was developed for the F-22 Raptor on the basis of the F119-PW-100 engine. It was originally designed as a new engine for the F-15 and F-16, but the engine requires a significantly higher air flow, which is why the air inlets of the machines have to be modified. The engine can be equipped with either a 3D thrust vector control or a nozzle with a low IR signature.

F100-PW-229 EEP

This variant has been produced by Pratt & Whitney since spring 2009. It is essentially an update of the design based on the knowledge gathered for the F119 (for Lockheed Martin F-22 ) and F135 (for Lockheed Martin F-35 ) engines . Primarily the reliability and maintainability have been improved, the performance remains at the level of the previous version. So it is currently (as of March 2009) the only engine that is approved by the US Air Force for an inspection interval of 6,000 operating hours. A general overhaul should now only be necessary every 10 to 14 years instead of every 7 to 9 years. The first customer is South Korea , followed by Morocco and Pakistan .

Structure and technical data

Source: Janes Aero Engines 2002

• Fan: Axial, 3 levels
  • Diameter: 928 mm
  • Max. Rotation speed: 10,400 / min
  • Bypass flow ratio: 0.7: 1 (-100) or 0.6: 1 (-220) or 0.36: 1 (-229A)
• Compressor: Axial, 10 stages, the first three stators are adjustable (four in the -229 variant).
  • Max. Rotation speed: 13,450 / min
  • Compression ratio: 8: 1
  • Total compression ratio: 24.5: 1 (-100) or 28.5: 1 (-220P) or 32.2: 1 (-229)
• Combustion chamber: Annular combustion chamber made of a nickel alloy
• High pressure turbine: 2 stages
• Low pressure turbine: 2 stages

variant	-100	-200	-220	-220E	-220LE	-229 (F-15)	-229 (F-16)	-220P	-229A	-229A (pushv.)
Length:	4,855 m					4,844 m		4,855 m	4,844 m
Diameter:	1.181 m
Weight:	1.482 kg	1.447 kg	1.452 kg	1.467 kg	1.532 kg	1.681 kg	1.699 kg	1.545 kg	1.844 kg	1.860 kg
Maximum dry thrust :	65.26 kN		63.9 kN	64.9 kN	63.9 kN	79.18 kN		74.29 kN	98.0 kN
Maximum afterburner thrust:	100.53 kN		105.72 kN		105.4 kN	129.45 kN		120.01 kN	165.0 kN
Specific fuel consumption: (with maximum afterburner)	59.49 mg / Ns				59.20 mg / Ns	54.96 mg / Ns		56.9 mg / Ns	50.99 mg / Ns

Web links

Commons : Pratt & Whitney F100  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Pratt & Whitney product page
• F100 at GlobalSecurity.org