With the survival of the F136 program hanging in the balance, General Electric and Rolls-Royce will reach unprecedented levels of testing on the embattled alternate Joint Strike Fighter engine in coming days. Facing the continuous threat of being axed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates amid continuing budgetary uncertainty, four F136s are now running as the program accelerates its attempt to rack up 1,000 test hours by year-end. "Despite the turmoil, the team remains focused. Stovl [short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing] tests of the rebuilt F136 Engine 006 ... will continue into early 2011 if funding allows. We're running full-speed ahead and meeting schedule, or in some cases we're a week ahead of schedule," says Jean Lydon-Rodgers, GE Military Systems vice president and general manager.
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