The U.S. Navy has awarded GE Aerospace a new $22.2 million research and development contract to upgrade the F414 turbofan powering the service’s fleet of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.
Under the cost-plus-fixed-fee agreement announced by the Department of Defense, GE Aerospace’s Lynn, Massachusetts, facility will lead design engineering and prototyping efforts aimed at bolstering the engine’s safety, reliability, and overall readiness. Work under the new contract, which was awarded without competitive bidding, is scheduled to be completed by December 2026.
The new contract is part of a broader F414 improvement program targeting significant upgrades for both the U.S. Navy and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) operators. The scope of work encompasses analytical engineering and the qualification of new component designs. The Navy hopes new upgrades to the engine can drive down long-term sustainment costs while increasing the affordability and operational availability of the engine in service.
Boeing expects to deliver the final Super Hornet to the Navy in 2027. The pace of integration of the Lockheed Martin F-35C stealth fighter on Navy carriers has been slower than planned, and the development of an all-new fighter to replace the Super Hornet under the Navy’s F/A-XX program has slowed to a crawl. The Trump Administration is instead focused on completing development of the Boeing F-47 fighter for the U.S. Air Force.
The Navy is likely to be flying Super Hornets off carrier decks for decades to come. That will require the Navy to spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on various upgrade and modernization programs to keep the Super Hornet viable as an air combat platform.
