Pentagon plans good news for GE

LYNN – U.S. Defense Secretary William Gates’ plan to order 41 more FA-18 Super Hornet fighter planes, unveiled Thursday at a Pentagon press conference, was welcome news for GE executives in Lynn.The Super Hornet, the U.S. military’s most prominent multi-role attack warplane, is slated to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).”Secretary Gates, or the Navy, wants more Super Hornets. That was the message,” said Rick Kennedy, a GE spokesman in Evendale, Ohio, where many of the engines are made. “In talking about the whole year’s budget, he mentioned that the JSF has been pushed out. An additional 41 Super Hornets is good news for GE.”Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney was awarded the primary engine production contract for the JSF, leaving rival GE scrambling to convince Congress to share the wealth by authorizing a second manufacturer.In his military budget presentation, Gates indicated deployment of the JSF is behind schedule, the aircraft “on probation” for two years while technical problems are addressed. The situation has resulted in a battlefield shortage of fighter planes, specifically Super Hornets.The Super Hornet requires two engines, unlike the newer JSF, which will fly with only one. An order for 41 Super Hornets translates to a demand for 82 engines. The Super Hornet is powered by the F414 jet engine, manufactured in Evendale, Lynn and a few other GE plants.”We contract for engines through Boeing, the airframe manufacturer for the Super Hornet,” said Richard Gorham, a GE spokesman in Lynn. “Right now, our engines are contracted through 2012. Generally speaking, any order for additional quantities of Super Hornets would be good news for GE aviation, especially the Lynn plant.”Gorham said it’s difficult to determine the exact impact an additional order of F414 engines would have on Lynn.GE also learned Thursday the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has allocated $58.4 million to extend the company’s maintenance of Super Hornet engines manufactured for the Navy in Lynn.The DOD announced the award of a six-month extension of a performance-based logistics contract to support the F414 engine used aboard the Navy’s Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler aircraft.Manufactured by Boeing, the EA-18G Growler is a carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, essentially a specialized version of the two-seat Super Hornet. It is designed to replace the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers still flying.The Growler went into production in 2007 and entered operational service in late 2009.Ninety-six percent of the work related to the DOD non-competitive award will be performed in Lynn, with the remaining 4 percent done in Jacksonville, Fla. All work is slated for completion by June.”A contract like this allows GE to continue to provide spare parts and make modifications or replacements where needed. It’s sort of an inventory program,” Gorham said. “It gives us the ability to turn things around quickly and get these engines back on wing.”The JSF contract is key to GE’s position as a defense industry aviation manufacturer because the warplane is designed for use in various models by the Navy, Marines and Air Force. Although Pratt & Whitney holds the JSF engine contract, GE together with business partner Rolls Royce continues to pursue government approval that would allow it to produce the engine as a second source manufacturer.Gates focused his criticism on the F-35B, the version of the JSF made for short take offs and vertical landings (STOVL). If the F-35B cannot be “fixed or gotten back on track” within two years, “it should be canceled,” he said.The defense secretary noted that JSF STOVL version has experienced “significant testing problems. These issues may lead to a redesign of the aircraft’s structure and propulsion – changes that could add yet more weight and more cost to an aircraft that has little capacity to absorb more of either.”