General Electric Aviation, Lynn, Massachusetts, is awarded a not-to-exceed $1,650,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, performance-based logistics requirements contract for the repair, upgrade or replacement, inventory management, and required supply response times of 17 F414 engine components in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. The contract will include a five-year base period with no options. Work is expected to be completed by August 2026.
Annual working capital funds (U.S. Navy) in the amount of $77,100,000 will be issued for delivery order that will be awarded concurrently with the contract and will initially be obligated at the time of award as an undefinitized contract action, with a commitment of an additional $25,700,000 for period of performance from Sept. 1, 2021, through Dec. 21 2021. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.
The General Electric F414 is an American afterburning turbofan engine in the 22,000-pound (98 kN) thrust class produced by GE Aviation. The F414 originated from GE’s widely used F404 turbofan, enlarged and improved for use in the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.GE evolved the F404 into the F412-GE-400 non-afterburning turbofan for the McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II. After the cancellation of the A-12, the research was directed toward an engine for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
The F414 uses the core and full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) from the F412, and the low-pressure system from the YF120 engine developed for the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition. One of the major differences between the F404 and the F414 is the fan section. The F414 fan is larger than that of the F404, but smaller than the F412 fan. The F414 uses a “fueldraulic” system to control the area of the convergent-divergent nozzle in the afterburner section. The F414 continues to be improved, both through internal GE efforts and federally funded development programs.
