The U.S. Navy assigned a three-year, performance-based contract to GE Aviation for repair, replacement, and program support for F414 engine components for the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. The contract, reportedly worth $460 million, takes effect this year and will run through 2017.
GE Aviation noted that the Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract also is “availability based,” and will address operational readiness requirements for the F414 fleet through the Navy’s Fleet Readiness Center West, at Lemoore, Calif., and Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, in Jacksonville, Fla.
GE Aviation also will support the contract with parts from a manufacturing plant at Lynn, Mass., and from GE Supply Chain operations in Hooksett, N.H.; Rutland, Vt.; Wilmington, N.C.; and Madisonville, Ken.
The new contract follows on a series of previous PBL contracts covering the F414, beginning in 2002. GE Aviation claimed the PBLs have allowed the Navy to realize “significantly lower acquisition costs” for critical replacement parts, as well as improved readiness, and that GE had contributed “considerable value” to the military aftermarket.
The F414 is an afterburning turbofan engine installed in fighter aircraft, including the Boeing F/A-18E/F and EA-18G Growler, Saab Gripen Demo/NG, and HAL Tejas Mk 2.
The Boeing fighters are powered by twin F414 engines that are rated at 22,000 lb (98 kN) thrust and are ranked in the 9:1 thrust-to-weight ratio class.
To date, the U.S. Navy has taken delivery of over 1,000 F414 engines, which have recorded over 1.5 million engine flight-hours.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to continue our successful collaboration with the Navy to provide a comprehensive, integrated, and cost-effective solution ensuring F414 readiness for our customer,” stated GE Aviation’s Scott Snyder, director for the manufacturer’s F414/F404 PBL program.
