Separating Engine Upgrade from F-35 Program Urged by GAO.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has urged Congress to separate the F-35's propulsion upgrade from the rest of the program to better track its scope, schedule, and cost. The Pentagon has previously declined GAO's suggestion to break out the engine upgrade element of the F-35 program as a separate undertaking. Meanwhile, engine-maker Pratt & Whitney added its own suggestion that the F-35 Joint Program Office decide quickly how it wants to meet the fighter's rapidly-growing power and cooling needs, so the company can adjust its planned Engine Core Upgrade to better mesh with those requirements.