Speculations turn out to be true , my hairy a r s e ! If even a single such prediction turned out to be true PST would be all over town like he is with that one about the Rafale deal being done in 2027-28 featuring a mix of F4 & F5 versions.
I don't think there's anyone here who didn't think this was impossible given the way decision making runs in the GoI coz logic & timeliness have never been our strong points .
Having said that 36 nos additional Rafales were always on the cards given the bases we'd paid for in advance to Dassault . Furthermore , the IN then went ahead & placed an order for 26 Rafale M .
There's absolutely no way we're getting VCE technology from either RR or SAFRAN in the next decade. For a good reason.
Unlike what Professional Story Teller has been repeatedly crowing about this isn't some plug & play technology. GE one of the pioneers of TF mfg actually spent 14 years to come up with a XA-100 ACE TF.
GE Aerospace developed the XA100 adaptive cycle engine over a roughly 14-year period of partnership with the U.S. Air Force, starting from initial research in 2007 through the first prototype run in December 2020
This is how long P&W took to develop the XA-101 VCE TF .
Pratt & Whitney’s development of the XA101 variable cycle engine (VCE) spanned approximately 9 years, from its entry into the technology maturation phase in 2012 to the start of full-engine ground testing in 2021.
SAFRAN has no experience whatsoever in having developed such technology but they're working at it & given their depth in technology as well as experience in TF mfg should be expected to take as much time to come up with their version of a VCE TF .
Another canard being floated by PST is that it's easy peasy to convert / redesign a non adaptive cycle TF to a VCE. It isn't .
Had it been worth their while besides being technically & economically feasible , the USAF wouldn't have decided upon the Engine Core Upgrade ( ECU ) program of the F-135.
This is how the AETP panned out with USAF eventually refusing to replace the F-135 with an ACE / VCE TF.
No, the Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan is not being upgraded to a Variable Cycle Engine (VCE).
Instead, the Pentagon and the U.S. Air Force have officially chosen the F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) as the path forward for the F-35 fleet. This is an incremental improvement rather than a complete transition to adaptive technology.
Key Differences in the Upgrade Path
- F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU): This chosen "drop-in" package focuses on increasing power and cooling capacity to support the F-35's Block 4 capabilities. It maintains the current two-stream low-bypass turbofan architecture to ensure compatibility across all three aircraft variants (A, B, and C) and keep costs lower.
- Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP): This was a separate effort to develop a true VCE (or adaptive cycle engine) like the GE XA100 or Pratt & Whitney XA101. While these engines offered significant performance boosts—such as a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency and 10-20% more thrust—the Pentagon canceled their integration into the F-35 in 2023 due to high development costs and integration risks.
Current Status
- Fielding Timeline: The F135 ECU is currently on track for integration and is expected to be fielded as early as 2029.
- Future Use of VCE Tech: The VCE technology developed under AETP has been transitioned to the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program, which will power the upcoming sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter instead of the F-35.
Now why would any OEM share tomorrow's technology with us which they've developed after heavy investments not just financially speaking but also after tremendous efforts lasting years.
One of the reasons SAFRAN or even RR was amenable to assist us was because our aims in developing the 120 KN TF was fairly modest.
You could say 1800°C TET with CMC is at the very entry level for a 5th Gen TF as of the present especially & this is very important you're set to transition to VCE capable of generating 1MW power which is what RR is attempting with the TF to power the GCAP.
We're at an inflection point in FA propulsion systems just like when TurboJet engines to power FAs gave way to TurboFans in the 1970s . In the next two decades practically all the FAs coming out will be equipped with these VCEs & possibly 5th Gen FAs of today may well be retrofitted with ACE / VCE .
Now in the light of the above information does anyone here think these F- OEMs would share this technology for a few billion USD ? I mean at this point I really can't tell if he's insulting the collective intelligence of this forum or revealing his own !
The lack of knowledge part which PST exploits is right on the money. That's the reason he gets away with a lot of 24 karat BS which he wouldn't in a technically accomplished forum like say B-R-F or even on X where the collective amateur & specialist defence aficionados there would leave imprints of their footwear on his worthless rear .
We just lack members with the kind of technical expertise to call him out . Earlier there were a few but they gave up given arguing with him is like a war of attrition plus he's a well known goal post shifter with all the time in the world to spin elaborate stories post after post which others obviously can't if they're engaging in good faith for unlike PST they've a life to live beyond being on the virtual world forever correcting faulty technical information & then being led down a merry ride under the mulberry bush which is never ending for all their pains .
That's the reason he prefers being here instead of displaying his knowledge to the whole wide world. That's also the reason he's declined repeated requests by me to start a blog like Trishul now that master story teller PKS is no more or a YT channel like Alpha Defence or Defence Matrix or Defence Decode to inflict on the world what he's doing here.
The comments section there would be filled with people expressing their appreciation for him his technical knowledge & his wisdom plus debating skills asking for a mukalaat as opposed to a mulaqat.
Better to be king of a pond than just another fish in the ocean. Plus you run the risk of being eaten up by bigger or cleverer fish in the big bad ocean. And thus the gravy train continues.
Petty & jealous ?? I forgot . There's normally an appraisal this time of the year with the management here wherein deserving members receive a raise , bonus & a promotion.
I haven't received any for all my pains after promotion to Senior Member which was half a decade ago plus zero remuneration leave aside incentives but this is precisely where PST finds himself too in spite of all that fan fiction he's been subjecting us to.
As far as hubris goes , Professional Story Teller once claimed he held 3 PoVs simultaneously - that of the end user in defence, that of a scientist in a R&D lab & that of a lay person which is what enabled him to understand the technical requirements of the end user & the reason a product is what it is , its future iterative cycle along with the pros & cons & of course the ability to dumb it down for people here.
I couldn't believe my eyes. For a few moments I couldn't tell if I was blessed with the darshan of Mahadev himself with his 3 eyes or I was seeing a case of Multiple Personality Disorder unfold before my very eyes. To verify I did ask him a few times if what I read was what he intended to convey. He replied yes all times.
I leave it to you to decide whether to go on your fours & venerate him or ...
Now for name calling . I didn't go about claiming I was an employee / former employee of a DPSU nor do I make tall claims nor do I call others bloody civilians implying I'm in the armed forces ( don't know whether I should list this one here or in the hubris paragraph ) .
It's PST who does it. Repeatedly. This is classic paint a bull's eye on my back / backside behaviour. Why wouldn't someone attempt a shot ?! And then why cry when one gets it good.
