Honeywell Unveils Enhanced Cooling Solutions for the F-35 Aircraft

Honeywell has declared it has effectively showcased its capability to enhance the present cooling power of the F-35’s Power and Thermal Management System (PTMS) to 80kW. For the last twenty years, Honeywell has been the provider of the F-35’s PTMS and is now optimally positioned to assist in the modernization demands of future mission systems. This notably upgraded cooling proficiency significantly surpasses the current 32kW cooling requirements of the U.S. military and its allied nations.

While Honeywell’s PTMS satisfies the prevailing airframe criteria currently in operation for the F-35, the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (JPO) indicated in 2023 that additional cooling capacity would be essential to support advanced avionics in next-generation aircraft. Honeywell has now demonstrated it can deliver a low-risk and cost-effective solution that aligns with the JPO’s future specifications by efficiently utilizing the present supply network and maintenance framework.

To validate the 80kW cooling capacity, Honeywell employed a Digital Twin of the PTMS, which leveraged data from over 2,500 hours of performance assessment conducted at Honeywell’s testing center and over 750,000 hours of flight experience. The Digital Twin integrated low-risk enhancements to heat exchangers and control modifications that further optimize system functionality. These minor adjustments significantly augmented cooling potential while still preserving all current vital interfaces with aircraft thermal systems without any invasive redesign or concurrency issues.

“Today, we have effectively illustrated that we not only satisfy the F-35’s existing operational requirements but are also prepared to facilitate future F-35 modernization enhancements without incurring pricey modifications to the aircraft for either forward-fit or retrofit scenarios,” stated Matt Milas, president of Defense and Space at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “By empowering F-35s to upgrade cooling capacity within our existing PTMS framework, we can now eliminate the risks associated with qualifying and deploying a new system that could cost taxpayers billions of dollars without offering any additional advantages.”

Honeywell’s PTMS represents a reliable, low-risk alternative that has undergone extensive development and years of operational service. Since 2006, more than 1,000 PTMS units have been deployed, with over 750,000 flight hours recorded and an extensive network of maintenance depots established globally. In addition to delivering cooling systems for the F-35, the PTMS also supports various other functions vital for flight safety.

“Honeywell’s PTMS is integral to numerous aircraft systems incorporated into the F-35, and any modifications to the PTMS would influence other crucial components of the aircraft,” asserted Matt Schacht, vice president of Engineering at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “We believe the least risky path forward for the F-35 is to sustain the existing architecture of the PTMS to preserve its many essential functions while enhancing cooling capacity for future aircraft generations.”