Defense News reports the subcommittee's version of the 2012 Defense authorization bill reinstates funding for the engine. This, after Defense Secretary Robert Gates, backed by President Obama, zeroed out funding in their budget request.

Rolls Royce and General Electric are jointly developing the engine to compete with the Pentagon's choice of Pratt & Whitney. Bloomberg reports reinstating the terminated GE-Rolls Royce program would mean having the companies fund the work themselves for at least the remainder of 2011 and during 2012.

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