GE bests Raytheon for US$1.58b US Air Force engine project

[WASHINGTON] The US Air Force awarded General Electric (GE) a potential US$1.58 billion deal to provide as many as 329 engines for the service's newest jet fighter, the F-15EX, if all 7 options are exercised, beating the rival Pratt & Whitney unit of Raytheon Technologies in a competition, the Pentagon said Friday (Oct 29).

GE was awarded an initial firm, fixed-price job to provide and install 29 engines for the F-15EX fleet for US$136 million, the first traunch in a project that could run through 2031.

The Air Force said in January 2020 that it planned to buy the engines sole-source from GE. Pratt & Whitney, which provided engines for previous F-15 models, protested the plan. That forced the service to open the programme to the competition that GE now has won.

"We are honoured to help the US Air Force open a new chapter by providing reliable F110 power for the F-15EX," Shawn Warren, GE's vice president of combat and trainer engines, said in a statement, referring to the GE engine selected.

The F-15EX jet built by Boeing will replace aging F-15C/D fighters. Boeing sees the EX as way to cut into market it lost in 2001 when Lockheed Martin beat it in competition to build the F-35 fighter.

In a statement, Pratt & Whitney said it was disappointed that the Air Force did not select its offering.

"We believe that we offered the most trusted, proven engine with the overall best value to the USAF for the F-15EX propulsion competition," the company said.

BLOOMBERG