Overview
- Collins completed several days of altitude testing that ran the Enhanced Power and Cooling System through flight-like power loads and pushed it toward operational limits.
- EPACS is engineered to more than double the F-35’s cooling capacity so the jet can host new sensors, weapons and mission systems without exceeding thermal limits.
- Engineers collected performance data across multiple altitudes and demonstrated the system’s ability to deliver emergency power during operation.
- The program still requires further development, formal integration work with Lockheed Martin, and certification before any installation on operational F-35s.
- The tests respond to government reporting that the jet’s current cooling setup is already straining engines and accelerating wear, and Collins says EPACS could also serve future defense and commercial aircraft with higher power needs.