LYNN, Mass. and WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has awarded GE Aerospace a contract valued at nearly $2.9 billion to supply components for the F414 engine that powers the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, according to a Defense Department announcement posted Tuesday.
The agreement is structured as a performance-based logistics contract, which compensates the vendor based on outcomes. The contract extends through August 2031 without options for extension, as stated in the notice. GE has not responded to requests for comment by press time.
The award coincides with GE’s ongoing efforts to optimize production of its F414 engines while simultaneously increasing output of the older F404 model, which will power platforms such as the Air Force’s new T-7 Red Hawk training jet. The company anticipates doubling F404 production over approximately five years, based on projected demand, according to officials who spoke during a media tour at GE’s manufacturing facilities in Lynn, Mass. Exact production rates were not disclosed.
“We’re currently in the middle of a transformation,” said Ryan Wood, GE’s executive plant manager for assembly and test operations. “Where we used to be 414-heavy, now we’re going to be 404-heavy.”
Amy Gowder, president and CEO of GE’s defense and systems business unit, outlined the company’s efforts to scale production of engines like the F404 by adopting new supply chain approaches with commercial-off-the-shelf standards capable of handling higher volumes.
Paul Ferraro, GE’s vice president and general manager of defense engines and services, emphasized the integration of advanced manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing to produce critical components more rapidly and cost-effectively while reducing weight.
“As we continue to evolve the producibility of those engines, now we’re looking at candidate parts that might lend themselves to [3D] printing and additive manufacturing as well,” Ferraro noted.
Driven by surging demand for engines like the F110 powering Boeing’s F-15EX fighter jet—and future applications including unmanned aerial systems—GE is expanding manufacturing across multiple engine designs. Despite ongoing supply chain pressures, Ferraro acknowledged the challenges while expressing confidence in GE’s internal capabilities to meet growing requirements.
“We hear constantly [about] the challenges in the supply base,” Ferraro said. “How do we ramp to rate? How do we respond to this increase in demand? It’s been challenging, to be honest with you.”
DIU Hypersonic Win
The multibillion-dollar contract award follows an earlier announcement that GE secured selection by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit to provide a liquid-fueled hypersonic test vehicle—a significant step in its pursuit of high-speed systems development.
The contract was awarded under the DIU’s Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT) program, which has issued agreements to multiple vendors to expand flight testing options for high-speed vehicles. A GE spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense that the next phase under the DIU contract spans approximately 24 months, including flight testing. The Defense Innovation Unit did not respond to a request for comment.
“This represents a significant milestone,” said Steve “Doogie” Russell, vice president and general manager of GE’s Edison Works unit. During a press briefing, Russell explained that GE will serve as prime contractor to integrate an all-up-round hypersonic vehicle and supply core technologies, including a dual-mode ramjet propulsion system capable of operating at both subsonic and supersonic speeds.
The HyCAT test vehicle will be launched using a solid rocket motor, according to Dean Modroukas, general manager of hypersonics at GE. He noted that a collaborative team is contributing various components to the vehicle, though specific partners were not disclosed due to restrictions.
While participation in the HyCAT program could lay groundwork for future hypersonic weapon opportunities, Russell clarified that supplying hypersonic missiles is not part of GE’s current strategic vision.
“We do have the capability to be the full integrator for this testbed project,” Russell stated, “but we’re really focused on being a propulsion solution provider across this spectrum of activity.”
