General Electric released a statement in response to the “Stop Work” order issued by the Department of Defense for the firm’s F136 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter.
The GE/Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team will be made to cease work on the project once the current funding runs out at the end of the month.
“While the F136 development contract contains a ‘stop work’ clause, we are disappointed that DoD took this unilateral action before Congress has completed its work on the fiscal year 2011 budget, ” GE said in a statement.
As a sign of commitment to the engine, the firm said it would self-fund the F136 program through the 90-day stop work period.
The firm indicated a strong desire to fight for the project’s completion.
“We will not walk away from a $3 billion taxpayer investment and your hard work to deliver what the Senate has called a “near model program, ‘” the firm said. “The F136 engine is meeting or exceeding performance expectations and is nearly complete.”
