US House votes to fund F-35 alternate engine

WASHINGTON Oct 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Thursday $560 million to continue work on an alternate F-35 engine built by General Electric Co (GE.N) and Rolls-Royce Group Plc (RR.L), defying a White House veto threat.

The legislation passed by a vote of 281 to 146, despite the Obama administration's attempts to shut the program down as part of a Pentagon overhaul. It would fully fund the Pentagon's $6 billion request to buy 30 F-35 fighters, built by the Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N). (Reporting by Andy Sullivan, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)