WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today attended a rally in support for the Joint Strike Fighter F136 today in Washington, D.C. The competitive engine, the F136, is being developed by General Electric (GE) in Evendale.

 “For more than sixty years, the workers at the Evendale plant have been an integral part of GE –and an integral Ohio and our nation,” Brown said. “Every two seconds of every single day, a GE engine lifts a plane into the air. And today, the work Everndale employees do each day is as important as ever.  As we rebuild our economy, we are renewing our focus on American manufacturing.”

 Last year, Brown helped secure $465 million in federal funds to support the creation of a competitive engine for the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) propulsion system. In April 2010, Brown visited the GE Aviation facility in Evendale to address workers and get an update on the development of the Joint Strike Fighter F136 competitive engine.

 In July 2009, Brown urged support for the program on the Senate floor. The F-35 program will develop and deploy the fifth-generation strike fighter aircraft to meet the operational needs of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and their allies. The F-35 employs cutting-edge technologies including synthetic aperture radar integration techniques, advanced target recognition, and advanced capabilities in its resistance to jamming, maintainability, and logistic support. This engine competition for the F-35 saves money and improves our national security.

 GE makes the competitive engine with its partner Rolls-Royce and much of the testing will be done in Evendale.  The engine program has created hundreds of jobs and could lead to many thousands depending on how many engines are produced. The Joint Strike Fighter is the largest weapon procurement program in history.

 Brown was joined by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt (OH-2), U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus (OH-1), and U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney (MA-6) as well as United Auto Workers Vice President Jim Settles.

 

# # #