General Electric F414

US Navy F414 engine

The General Electric F414 is a turbofan - engine with afterburner of GE Aviation in the class of about 98 kN thrust , which primarily in the F / A-18E / F Super Hornet is used.

More than 1,000 F414 engines had completed over a million flight hours by 2010.

history

background

The development of the F414 turbofan goes back to the unrealized variant of the F404 for the A-12 Avenger II , the F412-GE-400 without an afterburner. After the A-12 was canceled, the US Navy looked for an engine for the F / A-18E / F Super Hornet. General Electric then successfully offered the F414 which, as a derivative of the F404, had potentially lower development costs than a completely new engine. New materials were used for the new engine and the manufacturing processes of the F404 were retained, with the dimensions of both engines being identical.

construction

The F414 uses the core and FADEC system of the F412, while the low pressure systems came from the YF120 engine of the ATF program . One of the main differences between the F414 and the F404 is the fan . This is larger on the F414 than on the F404, but smaller than on the F412. The fan is 13 cm longer and has a 16% higher airflow. However, the combustion chamber and the afterburner had to be shortened by the length of the F404. Another change compared to the F404 is that the first stages of the high-pressure compressor are designed as a " blisk ", which saves 23 kg in weight. In addition, there is no separate hydraulic system for the afterburner .

Further developments

Since the F414 was put into service on the Super Hornet, numerous development programs have been launched. In 2006 General Electric tested an "Enhanced Durability Engine" (EDE) with an alternative core. With the EDE engine, either the thrust could be increased by 15% or the service life improved. Instead of a seven-stage engine, the EDE engine uses a six-stage high pressure compressor that is 3% more efficient, as well as an improved high pressure turbine that uses new materials. These enable the temperature to be increased by 66 ° C, which in turn enables the supply of cooling air to be changed. The EDE has better FOD protection and uses less fuel.

According to the EDE program, tests were carried out with improved two-stage blisk fans. Even if the first improved fan was produced conventionally, it should be used to test new production methods in order to reduce production costs. These engines, known as “Enhanced Performance Engine” (EPE), are part of the “Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology” (IHPTET) program and have a 20% increase in thrust.

Other possible F414 improvements concern the ability to reduce noise. As part of a development contract with the US Navy, tests have been carried out with the F414-EDE engine since 2009 in order to reduce specific fuel consumption.

variants

F414-GE-440

Basic variant for the "Advanced Super Hornet" (20 percent more thrust than F414-GE-400 → approx. 118 kN)

F414-GE-400

Basic variant for the F / A-18E / F Super Hornet

F414-EDE

"Enhanced Durability Engine" with 2% lower specific fuel consumption and longer service life. This is achieved with an improved high pressure turbine for higher operating temperatures and some aerodynamic changes as well as a new high pressure core with six instead of seven stages.

F414-EPE

"Enhanced Performance Engine" with revised core, fan and compressors. The EPE variant offers a thrust increase of up to 20%, whereby a thrust of approx. 120 kN is achieved with the afterburner and the thrust-to-weight ratio increases to 11: 1.

F414G

Variant for the JAS 39 Gripen NG , which enables it to reach Mach 1.2 without an afterburner ( super cruise ).

F414BJ

Planned variant for the Dassault Falcon SSBJ with approx. 53 kN thrust without afterburner.

F414M

Version for the Mako / HEAT jet trainer from EADS with 55.6 kN dry thrust and 75 kN with afterburner. This version is also available for the A-50 .

F414-GE-INS6

Variant for the Indian Tejas MK.II based on the EPE, which prevailed over the Eurojet EJ200 in the selection process . Should be delivered from 2013. ^[outdated]

F414-GE-39E

New version of the F414G for Saab JAS-39E Gripen

Technical data (F414-GE-400)

The F414 consists of six modules that can be exchanged independently of each other.

General data

• Length: 3.912 m
• Diameter: 0.889 m
• Inlet diameter: 0.79 m
• Dry weight : about 1120 kg
• Air flow: 77.1 kg / s

construction

• Compressor : Axial compressor with three low-pressure and seven high-pressure compressor stages , two of which are low-pressure and three high-pressure stages are designed as blisk
• Turbine : a low pressure and a high pressure stage

power

• Thrust: maximum 97.86 kN with afterburner, 63.47 kN without
• Total print ratio: 30: 1
• Thrust-to-weight ratio: 9: 1

Web links

• GEAE F414 / F414M

Individual evidence

1. ^ "Proven Experience, Program Upgrades Spark GE F110 and F404 / 414 Popularity" . GE Aviation, July 19, 2010.
2. ↑ [1]
3. ↑ FlugRevue April 2010, pp. 88–89, boost for the Super Hornet