General Electric Aviation has been awarded a contract for support of the F414 engine, found in the Super Hornet and Growler aircraft. The contract, announced Monday by the Department of Defense, comes under a $37 million modification to an existing contract for the repair, replacement and general support of 773 F414 engines for the F/A-18E and F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fighter aircraft.
The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet. The F-18 series of aircraft the Growler is an electronic warfare variant is the primary naval fighter of the United States, as well as a number of allied nations. The fighters specialize in jamming enemy aircraft and ground defense systems.
According to company’s press release, the F414 Enhanced Engine is delivering expanded capabilities for next generation combat needs. With up to 18% more thrust and twice the horsepower of its predecessor, the F414 Enhanced Engine is poised to complete missions on time and on task. The F414 originated from GE’s widely used F404 turbofan from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, enlarged and improved for use in the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The engine was developed from the F412 non-afterburning turbofan planned for the A-12 Avenger II, before it was canceled.
Work will be performed at General Electric locations across the United States, as well as the Fleet Readiness Center at Jacksonville, Fla. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2018. Fiscal 2018 Navy funds in the amount of just over $37 million has been obligated to GE, and the funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. F414 engines provide today’s combat-proven Boeing Super Hornet and Growler electronic attack with significant survivability and payload improvement compared to earlier weapon systems.