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Honeywell has announced that its Power and Thermal Management System for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has surpassed 1 million flight hours since the aircraft’s first flight in late 2006.
The Power and Thermal Management System (PTMS) is the only system of its kind in any aircraft, demonstrating proven performance and reliability across more than 1,100 F-35s delivered to the United States and allied nations.
Honeywell partnered with Lockheed Martin from the inception of the F-35 program to jointly develop the PTMS in conjunction with the aircraft. The system integrates the functions of an auxiliary power unit, emergency power unit, environmental control system and thermal management system into a single, streamlined package.
This innovation resulted in a reduction of aircraft weight by approximately 450 kilograms and length by 25 centimetres compared to previous generation systems. The PTMS reached Technology Readiness Level 6 in 2000 before entering the system design and development phase, which culminated in its first flight in 2006.
“Our PTMS reaching 1 million flight hours underscores Honeywell’s unmatched expertise, resources and technical capability to support current and future F-35 cooling requirements for American and allied warfighters,” said Matt Milas, president, defence and space, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies.
“Honeywell’s PTMS is deeply integrated into the F-35’s key systems, effectively serving as the aircraft’s heart and circulatory system. Beyond its fundamental cooling function, it performs 13 additional mission and safety-critical tasks that require extensive integration and software qualification,” Milas added.
The PTMS is so integral to the aircraft’s key systems that any modifications would necessitate a high-risk, costly reintegration and retesting process to requalify numerous safety-critical functions. These include cooling and pressurising the cockpit, supplying oxygen to the pilot, providing emergency power to primary flight controls in the event of main engine failure, and enabling safe landings by cooling avionics during in-flight emergencies.
“Honeywell’s solution for increasing PTMS cooling capacity minimises risk and cost,” said Rich DeGraff, president, control Systems, Honeywell Aerospace. “This approach maintains the F-35’s critical functions and has been validated not only through in-service flight hours but also thousands of additional hours in our dedicated F-35 test cell – the world’s most representative test environment for the F-35’s thermal ecosystem. Our expertise in air and thermal management systems for both military and commercial aircraft is unparalleled.”
Honeywell’s PTMS is backed by a global support network. The company has partnered with Lockheed Martin, the F-35 Joint Program Office, and international allies to establish PTMS repair capabilities in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2022, Honeywell successfully transferred PTMS turbomachine repair capabilities to Aeronamic, co-located at the Royal Netherlands Air Force base in Woensdrecht. A modular test cell is scheduled for delivery to Aeronamic in late 2025, enabling full turbomachine testing after repairs.
The US military has also collaborated with Honeywell to establish a PTMS depot and test capabilities at Fleet Readiness Centre East in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Additionally, Honeywell is exploring opportunities in Australia to transfer repair capabilities for select PTMS components, ensuring global support for the system wherever F-35s are deployed.
