The Raytheon Technologies companies say the Emergency Power and Cooling System (EPACS) with the F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) will bring a 7% increase in range and thrust and twice as much cooling. The system is compatible with all F-35 variants and can reach technology readiness level six in 2023, meaning it is ready for a technology demonstration. The company claims it would provide about $40 billion in savings compared to replacing the aircraft’s entire engine....
...The current F135 is under heavy strain supporting the F-35’s advanced avionics and issues with thermal management. The Joint Program Office says the Block 3 version of the F-35 produces 30 kW of waste heat from electronics, with that number to grow to 47 kW in Block 4. The current engine is optimized to absorb up to 14 kW of waste heat. Pratt says the current engine can provide the needed power, but it will burn hotter, requiring more maintenance.
“Really what the customer is looking for is more cooling to power these weapons systems … Pratt & Whitney is offering the Engine Core Upgrade because it solves the problem and it does so in the most cost-effective way,” says Jen Latka, vice president of F135 systems at Pratt & Whitney.
The new EPACS is a Collins-designed system, with an air cycle machine and power generation connected to Pratt’s auxiliary power unit. Kim Kinsley, vice president of environmental and airframe control systems at Collins, says it is built of existing technologies used in both commercial single-aisle and wide-body aircraft, along with military fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
