(Tribune News Service) — Jet-engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has been awarded an approximately $1.6 billion contract from the U.S. government for additional work on F-35 fighter jets.

Pratt’s new work on F135 engines, which power the F-35s, is expected to be completed next November, according to a contract summary posted on the Department of Defense’s website. It will be carried out across multiple states and countries, with the largest portion, equal to 40%, set to be done at Pratt’s facility in East Hartford, according to the contract summary. Pratt & Whitney officials confirmed the new deal.

“Investing in F135 sustainment keeps allied forces ready to meet current and future threats,” Kinda Eastwood, vice president of F135 Sustainment at Pratt & Whitney, said in a written statement. “F-35 operators worldwide depend on the F135 for the power and performance their missions demand, and this award helps us maintain readiness rates that enable the warfighter to accomplish their critical missions.”

According to the contract summary, the work will include “recurring sustainment support, program management, financial and administrative activities, propulsion integration, replenishment spare part buys, engineering support, material management, configuration management, product management support, software sustainment, security management, Joint Technical Data updates, support equipment management, depot level maintenance and repair for all fielded propulsion systems at the F-35 production sites and operational locations, as well as training for propulsion systems used in F-35 air vehicle.”

Pratt has finalized a number of other F135 deals with the federal government in the past couple of years, including a $2.9 billion contract modification announced in August.

As a sign of the enduring demand for F-35s, President Donald Trump announced last month an agreement to sell a number of the fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. While Saudi Arabia is one of the closest allies of the U.S. in the Middle East, the deal has raised a number of concerns, with critics including U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut.

“If this deal is completed, Riyadh will gain full access to some of the United States’ most prized, cutting-edge military technology,” Courtney wrote in a letter, with two other Democratic representatives, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Donald Norcross of New Jersey, to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Given Saudi Arabia’s deepening military ties with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), such a sale has the potential to severely jeopardize U.S. national security if Riyadh were to share any of the F-35’s technology or operational know-how with Beijing.”

Among other recent agreements, Pratt has secured an approximately $1.1 billion contract with the defense department for more work on F100 engines, which power F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.

Pratt & Whitney’s deliveries of F135 engines, as well as GTF models for commercial aircraft, were affected by the three-week strike in May of the company’s approximately 3,000 Connecticut-based machinists. The work stoppage was resolved when the machinists approved a new four-year contract.

Approximately 10,800 employees are based at Pratt & Whitney’s plants, with the company perennially ranking among the largest private-sector employers in Connecticut.

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