Rolls-Royce supplies the F-35B’s LiftSystem, a vertical-lift subsystem that works with the aircraft’s F135 engine. Public announcements describe distinct production and support arrangements, not one confirmed contract value for the award named in the headline. A 2012 Rolls-Royce announcement put a separate LiftSystem supply contract at $315 million for 17 aircraft; another notice reported a separate $215 million award, but its date and primary announcement are not established here.
What Rolls-Royce supplies to the F-35B
The F-35B is the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Lightning II. Rolls-Royce’s LiftSystem provides the aircraft’s vertical-lift capability. It works alongside the F135 propulsion system; it is not the F135 engine itself.
Rolls-Royce describes the LiftSystem as four main components:
- LiftFan: supplies lift at the front of the aircraft.
- Driveshaft: transfers power from the engine to the LiftFan.
- 3-Bearing Swivel Module (3BSM): directs engine thrust downward for vertical lift.
- Roll posts: help provide roll control during vertical flight.
See Rolls-Royce’s LiftSystem overview for its description of the subsystem.
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How Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney divide the work
Pratt & Whitney manufactures the F135 engine and acts as the lead propulsion integrator for the F-35 program. Rolls-Royce is its subcontractor for the LiftSystem technology.
A joint announcement in 2016 described a performance-based logistics arrangement for UK F-35B propulsion support at RAF Marham. Under that arrangement, Pratt & Whitney would focus on system-level F135 performance, while Rolls-Royce would lead support for the LiftSystem and take on some delegated F135-engine support work. The companies said they would seek to extend the model to other F-35B customers; the announcement does not establish that such an extension occurred. Read the 2016 joint support announcement.
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What the public contract announcements establish
The available announcements point to separate awards with different dates, values, and stated scopes. They should not be added together or treated as one confirmed contract behind the headline.
| Announcement | Value and stated scope | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Rolls-Royce release, 1 May 2012 | $315 million under a Pratt & Whitney contract to supply LiftSystem technology for 17 F-35B aircraft. | It is a dated historical supply award, not confirmation of the value of a later production-and-support contract. See the Rolls-Royce release. |
| London Stock Exchange Regulatory News notice; award year not established in the available notice | $215 million for a separate F-35B LiftSystem production-and-support contract. | The date and original primary announcement are not established, so this figure cannot be reliably matched to the award in the headline. See the LSE-hosted notice. |
Because the second notice’s date and primary text are not established, it is not possible to confirm that it is the specific award intended by the headline or to give a definitive value and scope for that award beyond the notice’s description.
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What Rolls-Royce says about future LiftSystem deliveries
In its 2025 full-year results presentation, published on 26 February 2026, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Tufan Erginbilgic said the company had “visibility of deliveries into the 2030s” for the LiftSystem. This is the company’s outlook statement; it does not disclose a public contract quantity or delivery schedule. The statement appears in the 2025 results materials.
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