F-35 Fleet Gets Cooling Upgrade with Honeywell's P40 System
The Lockheed Martin F-35 fleet is set to receive an upgrade from Honeywell Aerospace in the form of its Power and Thermal Management System, or P40. This new system will increase the cooling capacity of the F-35 by nearly 25%, up from the current 32 kilowatt limit to 40 kilowatts.
Honeywell claims that this upgrade can be achieved through software updates and minor improvements to the liquid cooling system, without requiring invasive physical modifications to the aircraft. This is expected to save time and money for the US military in getting its jets up to par on the cooling front.
According to Honeywell, the P40 system will not only improve cooling capacity but also reduce the likelihood of system shutdowns due to overheating while in flight. This is a significant concern as F-35 cockpits have become increasingly reliant on power-hungry technology that stresses the cooling system.
Honeywell foresees using this new 40-kilowatt limit as a stepping stone to reach even higher cooling capacities, potentially as high as 62 kilowatts or more in future upgrades.