GE developing engine upgrade for F-18E/F

[Fog]

The current issue of AW&ST tells of GE's plans to upgrade the F414 engine by (a) increasing total thrust by 20% (~4,400lbs) & (b) reducing fuel burn by 3%. The same article says that the USN has funded the upgrade program but there are no announced plans at present for the Navy to acquire the upgrade - which can be retro-fitted to existing F414 engines. WTF?! The article says the upgraded engine will be used primarily for the export sales market. Double WTF?! I guess this is so we'll have the 2nd best Hornets in use around the world.

Although after my time, the Navy gave the F-14 10 more years of service life w/ a new engine, FLIR and other air-to-mud upgrades. We would be crazy not to do the same with the Super Hornet. According to AW&ST's annual inventory isue, the Navy still has 100 F-18A&B's (virtually usless a/c). Since the F-35 won't likely get to the fleet before 2015, why doesn't the Navy buy another 120 or so Super Hornets & retro fit the upgraded engine into every E & F model in the inventory?

Maybe others smarter & more current than I can shed some light on this issue.

 

[AJTranny]

Either give em the motors or fix the damn pylons.

 

[HeyJoe]

The current issue of AW&ST tells of GE's plans to upgrade the F414 engine by (a) increasing total thrust by 20% (~4,400lbs) & (b) reducing fuel burn by 3%. The same article says that the USN has funded the upgrade program but there are no announced plans at present for the Navy to acquire the upgrad - which can be retro-fitted to existing F414 engines. WTF?! The article says the upgraded engine will be used primarily for the export sales market. Double WTF?! I guess this is so we'll have the 2nd best Hornets in use around the world.

Although after my time, the Navy gave the F-14 10 more years of service life w/ a new engine, FLIR and other air-to-mud upgrades. We would be crazy not to do the same with the Super Hornet. .

Both the A-4 and F/A-18 reaped benefit of upgraded motors developed for foreign market (ie Kuwait) that were later introduced to Navy. Developing motor is one thing and then doing the RDT&E to work out NATOPS changes, etc. involves a nice chuck on nonrecurring engineering costs. The engine upgrade costs can be funded by either a LECP or VECP by NAVICP however cost of nonrecurring to get it into service has to be borne by Resource Sponsor competing with everything else. Doesn't mean it won't be done, but a foreign customer would pay for the nonrecurring cost of introducing engine to the airframe, which is how Navy and Marine Corps reaped benefit of Kuwait's interest in A-4 and F/A-18C.

According to AW&ST's annual inventory isue, the Navy still has 100 F-18A&B's (virtually usless a/c). Since the F-35 won't likely get to the fleet before 2015, why doesn't the Navy buy another 120 or so Super Hornets & retro fit the upgraded engine into every E & F model in the inventory?

Maybe others smarter & more current than I can shed some light on this issue

The remaining F/A-18A/B variants are still very valuable due to issue of cat/trap and FLE remaining. Many C and D models are approaching end of their ropes whereas smart community management shifts aircraft where they need to be. And the As aren't your big brother's A models thanks to ECPs that have added increased capability.

As to buying another 120 of anything...Navy si still working out how to fill the ~80 strike fighter shortfall. I'm positive Boeing would be happy to keep the line open and sellt he navy whatever they'd like. If F-35 program stumbles, that is a viable option for sure especially as F-35 costs escalate (it was supposed to be a ~$30M aircraft, but that's so far back in rearview mirror as to be out of sight).

 

[HackerF15E]

If the Navy is anything like the USAF, there are list of unfunded, approved improvements to every weapon system.

The list of approved upgrades for the F-15E that there just isn't $$ to buy is literally 3 pages of line items long.

 

[Godspeed]

The current issue of AW&ST tells of GE's plans to upgrade the F414 engine by (a) increasing total thrust by 20% (~4,400lbs)

Rumor has it the F-18 will now in fact be able to accelerate to supersonic in the vertical, putting an end to much debate and speculation about the topic....

 

[utak]

Does this also mean the Rhino can finally go to Mach 2?

 

[Fog]

A re-engined Super Hornet (like the F-14D) w/ more thrust & lower fuel burn could likely launch in basic engine w/out a/b and thereby gain about 15 minutes more combat radius - which would be huge. I assume the airframe design pretty much limits it to the 1.6 mach it already has.

All the AF's F-15's could greatly benefit from the AESA radar already going into all the Super Hornets. A big question, to me, is how the AF justifies the 336 F-15C's it already has. They are single-mission a/c without a mission in Iraq & Afghanistan. If I were managing the AF, I'd shit-can them & load-up on all the F-15E's I could afford or buy all the Block 60 F-16's Congress would allow. The Israeli F-16I's are great examples of what you can do w/ the Falcon if you apply brains to the mission.

JMHO, of course.

 

[Mumbles]

Rumor has it the F-18 will now in fact be able to accelerate to supersonic in the vertical, putting an end to much debate and speculation about the topic....

but will it be able to launch off of a treadmill??

 

[IRfly]

With or without wing racks?

 

[BarrettRC8]

but will it be able to launch off of a treadmill??

Please, please no.

On a side note, I walked by an aggressor-painted F-18E this morning at PNS for a BI flight, and damn... I wasn't aware they were that much larger than the Charlie model!

 

[Fog]

Please, please no.

On a side note, I walked by an aggressor-painted F-18E this morning at PNS for a BI flight, and damn... I wasn't aware they were that much larger than the Charlie model!

. . and the same size as an F-4. Can you imagine what a Phantom could have done w/ a multi-mode AESA radar & 2 26,000lb thrust engines!!?? Yeehaw! It would have kicked some butt (except in a flat turning fight vs an A-4 or about anything else).

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

Please, please no.

On a side note, I walked by an aggressor-painted F-18E this morning at PNS for a BI flight, and damn... I wasn't aware they were that much larger than the Charlie model!

Ah HA! I saw that thing land the other day but haven't had the time to drive over to that side of PNS to go check it out.

 

[OSUbeaver]

A re-engined Super Hornet (like the F-14D) w/ more thrust & lower fuel burn could likely launch in basic engine w/out a/b and thereby gain about 15 minutes more combat radius - which would be huge. I assume the airframe design pretty much limits it to the 1.6 mach it already has.

All the AF's F-15's could all greatly benefit from the AESA radar already going into all the Super Hornets. A big question, to me, is how the AF justifies the 336 F-15C's it already has. They are single-mission a/c without a mission in Iraq & Afghanistan. If I were managing the AF, I'd shit-can them & load-up on all the F-15E's I could afford or buy all the Block 60 F-16's Congress would allow. The Israeli F-16I's are great examples of what you can do w/ the Falcon if you apply brains to the mission.

JMHO, of course.

Just curious, during my limited experience ashore and afloat as a guest of VFA-122 I didn't see super hornets using afterburner during cat shots or when trapping; that isn't to say they never did but it did not seem that it was needed. The C/Ds usually did, am I missing something?

 

[AJTranny]

The rhino and legacies are quite different airframes. The burner/no burner decision is based on the GW/asymetry numbers you crunch prior to launch. They are unique to your airframe. You can actually make the rhino pretty fat with gas and bombs before she needs burner. Engineers, please take over as to why. I doubt it's because of the motors though, the legacies tend to have a little more pop from what I hear.

 

[TurnandBurn55]

What modern-day US fighter has not gone through an engine upgrade over its lifetime? F-14, F-15, F-16, JV Hornets all did... I think sooner or later, you will see a Rhino with a big engine. But the process will likely be a smooth, well-oiled one, much like that attempts to retrofit all jets with AESA, helmets in both cockpits, big-screen TV in the back, ALE-55, IR pointer, etc etc etc...