Pratt & Whitney F100

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The F100 is an afterburning turbofan engine manufactured by Pratt & Whitney which powers the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Contents 1 Variants 1.1 F100-PW-100 1.2 F100-PW-200 1.3 F100-PW-220/220E 1.4 F100-PW-229 2 Specifications 3 External links

[edit] Variants

[edit] F100-PW-100

Pratt & Whitney was awarded a development contract in 1970 for the engine of the next generation fighter, what became the F-15 Eagle. The F100-PW-100 first flew in an F-15 in 1972 with a thrust of 23,930 lb_f. Due to the advanced nature of engine and aircraft numerous problems were encountered in its early days of service including high wear, stalling and "hard" afterburner starts. These "hard" starts could be caused by failure of the afterburner to start or by extinguishing after start, in either case the large jets of jet fuel were lit by the engine exhaust resulting in high pressure waves causing the engine to stall. While early problems have been solved, the engine still has a reputation of being "temperamental" and is still in the USAF fleet to this day.

It is recognized that the F100 was at the cutting edge of current technology, one study [1] by the RAND Corporation places it almost 4 years "ahead of its time."

[edit] F100-PW-200

The F-16 Fighting Falcon entered service with the F100-PW-200, with only slight differences from the PW-100. Seeking a way to drive unit costs down the USAF implemented the Alternative Fighter Engine (AFE) program in 1984, under which the engine contract would be awarded through competition. The F-16C/D Block 30/32s were the first to be built with the common engine bay, able to accept the existing engine or the General Electric F110.

[edit] F100-PW-220/220E

The PW-220 incorporated the most advanced technology available, including the precision control and advanced maintenance features of digital electronic controls and the extended durability and reliability of metallurgical and heat-transfer advances. The F100-PW-220 has established the best safety and mission capable rates in U.S. Air Force history. This model of the F100 was introduced in 1986 and could be installed on either an F-15 or F-16.

[edit] F100-PW-229

Using technology developed from the F119 and F135 engine programs for the F/A-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the current production F100-PW-229 incorporates modern turbine materials, cooling management techniques, compressor aerodynamics, and electronic controls. The first PW-229 was flown in 1989 and has a thrust of 29,160 lb_f.

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

• Type: Afterburning turbofan
• Length: 191 in (4,851 mm)
• Diameter: 46.5 in (1,181 mm)
• Dry weight: 3,740 lb (1,696 kg)

Components

• Compressor: Axial compressor with 3 fan and 10 compressor stages
• Bypass ratio: 0.36:1
• Turbine: 2 low-pressure and 2 high-pressure stages

Performance

• Thrust:
  
  • 17,800 lbf (79.1 kN) military thrust
  • 29,160 lbf (129.6 kN) with afterburner
• Overall pressure ratio: 32:1
• Specific fuel consumption:
  
  • Military thrust: 0.76 lb/(lbf·h) (77.5 kg/(kN·h))
  • Full afterburner: 1.94 lb/(lbf·h) (197.8 kg/(kN·h))
• Thrust-to-weight ratio: 7.8:1 (76.0 N/kg)

[edit] External links

• Pratt & Whitney F100 - Manufacturers page
• Global security - F100-PW-100/-200