General Electric Aviation has been awarded a 12-year contract to supply and maintain F/A-18 jet engines for the Australian Air Force.
Australia has been flying the US-made F/A-18 Hornet for more than 20 years. Now the Royal Australian Air Force is on target to be the first international customer to fly the newer and more versatile F/A-18 'E' and 'F' models, known as the 'Super Hornet.'
GE has been hired to provide a full range of services related to the aircraft engines. The Hornet is powered by a pair of GE F404 jet engines, and the Super Hornet uses two of the more powerful F414 engines.
In the US, the F/A-18 is a carrier-based aircraft flown exclusively by the Navy and Marines.
The RAAF has flown 70 standard F/A-18 fighter jets a total of 500,000 engine hours. The Australian government has ordered 24 of the larger Super Hornets with engine deliveries expected early this year. The first fully-operational Super Hornet squadron is expected to take to the skies over Australia in 2010.
GE Aviation has local engine production facilities in Evendale, Ohio and Madisonville, Kentucky.
