The Pratt & Whitney F100 is an afterburning turbofan family used in the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Development began in the late 1960s for the F-X fighter programme that produced the F-15. Successive versions combined higher performance with changes intended to overcome the reliability difficulties experienced by early engines.[1]Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220National Museum of the United States Air Force · nationalmuseum.af.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Development and applications
The original F100 operated near the limits of contemporary fighter-engine technology. Its initial development challenges led to continuing improvements in durability and reliability. The family subsequently became established in both twin-engine F-15s and single-engine F-16s, giving the engine a wide range of fighter missions and installation requirements. The F100-PW-220 was used in F-15C, D and E models and F-16C and D models.[1]Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220National Museum of the United States Air Force · nationalmuseum.af.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Performance growth
The US Air Force museum contrasts approximately 24,000 pounds of maximum thrust in early versions with more than 29,000 pounds in later engines. Its preserved F100-PW-220 is rated at 23,770 pounds with afterburner. Pratt & Whitney lists 29,160 pounds for the later -229, along with a bypass ratio of 0.36 and an overall pressure ratio of 32:1. These figures show the substantial increase in output achieved within the family.[1]Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220National Museum of the United States Air Force · nationalmuseum.af.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details[2]F100 EnginePratt & Whitney · rtx.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
F100-PW-229
The first production -229 was delivered in December 1989. A field-service evaluation followed in September 1990, and operational introduction occurred in April 1992. The engine retained a modular architecture that allowed major assemblies to be maintained within an established support system at F-15 and F-16 bases.[2]F100 EnginePratt & Whitney · rtx.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Durability work
Later development included testing for longer operating intervals. Pratt & Whitney records completion of a 6,000-total-accumulated-cycle accelerated mission test in September 2010 and the first -229 reaching that cycle milestone in February 2020. Such work reflects the programme's evolution from solving early service problems to extending the useful operation of mature fighter engines.[2]F100 EnginePratt & Whitney · rtx.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details