F414 engine still powering GE

LYNN – With 1,500 built in the River Works, General Electric’s F414 jet engine is pushing production forward in the Western Avenue plant.Powering military jets since 1998, the F414 has logged more than 3 million flight hours, according to a company statement marking the manufacture of the 1,500th engine.”GE is proud to the support the U.S. Navy and appreciate their continued confidence in the F414,” said GE general manager Al DiLibero.When GE’s F404 engine powered the F/A-18 fighter in 1991, GE engineers began studying ways to upgrade its military aircraft engine to provide more power. They combined two engine designs into one to create the F414 and River Works machinists started building a more powerful engine for the F/A-18.Even as it reaches a production landmark with the F414, GE is looking for ways to improve the engine by increasing its power thrust, reducing fuel consumption and develop lightweight engine parts.The River Works plant currently manufacturers aircraft and helicopter engines with military orders primarily keeping 2,900 workers employed.Competing against firms like Pratt and Whitney and Honeywell domestically and Rolls-Royce and Mitsubishi internationally, GE is trying to compete on an international scale.Even as it continues producing the F414 as its mainstay military jet engine, the River Works is vying for increased commercial aircraft engine contracts and working to continue producing helicopter engines like the GE-produced T700.”We are steadfast in our longstanding commitment to produce the highest quality engines,” DiLibero said.