LYNN, Mass. and WASHINGTON — The Pentagon awarded engine maker GE Aerospace a contract worth up to nearly $2.9 billion to supply parts for the company’s F414 engine that powers the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter and EA-18G Growler electronic attack jet, according to a Defense Department announcement posted Tuesday.
The deal was awarded as a performance-based logistics contract, which essentially pays a vendor based on outcomes. The contract runs to August 2031 with no option periods, according to the notice.
“GE Aerospace is proud to have powered the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler with the trusted, powerful, and reliable F414 engine for more than 20 years,” the company said in a statement. “These mission critical aircraft play a vital role in the Navy’s fleet, and we remain committed to sustaining their engines to maintain fleet readiness and keep warfighters mission ready.”
The award comes as GE navigates the best way to continue building the larger, more powerful F414 engines used by the Navy’s aging fleet of Super Hornets and Growlers, while also ramping up production of its older F404 engine that will be used in aircraft like the Air Force’s new T-7 Red Hawk training jet. The company expects to essentially double its production output of the F404 over roughly the next five years, officials said Monday during a media tour of GE’s manufacturing facilities in Lynn, Mass. (GE officials declined to share exact rates, which are forecasts based on anticipated demand.)
