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.

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"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.

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