General Electric F110

The General Electric F110 is an afterburning turbofan jet engine produced by GE Aviation. The F110 engine uses the same engine core design as the General Electric F101. The F118 is a non-afterburning variant. The engine is also license-built by IHI Corporation, Orenda Aerospace, and Turkish Aerospace Industries.

Design and Development

F-14 Tomcat

The F-14A entered service with the United States Navy in 1973 powered by Pratt & Whitney TF30s. By the end of the decade, following numerous problems with the original engine (and similar problems with the Pratt & Whitney F100 on the F-15 and F-16), the DoD began procuring the upgraded TF30-P-414As. While these engines solved the serviceability problems, the fuel consumption and thrust was comparable to the initial model–considerably less than what the F-14 had been designed for.

In 1979, a derivative of the GE F101 turbofan called the F101-X was selected to power the F-14 and was later designated the F110-GE-400. The primary difference between the F110-GE-400 and the F110-GE-100 is length - the F110-GE-400 has a 50-inch (1.3 m) tailpipe extension to suit the F-14 airframe, which is fitted downstream of the augmentor. The new engine provided 28,200 lbf (103 kN) of thrust on reheat compared to the TF30's maximum thrust of 20,900 lbf (93 kN). These upgraded jets were known as F-14Bs, as were production aircraft powered by the F110. The same engine also powers the final variant of the aircraft, the F-14D.

F-15 Eagle

Two F110-GE-129 engines, with 29,400 lbf (131 kN) of thrust, power seventy-two F-15K fighters of South Korea. This is the first time production F-15s will be powered by a GE engine, since all previous F-15 models were powered by Pratt & Whitney. The GE engines will be manufactured through a joint licensing agreement with Samsung Techwin Company. It has also been chosen by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) to power its F-15SG, and Saudi Arabia to power its F-15SA.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-16 Fighting Falcon entered service powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100 afterburning turbofan. Seeking a way to drive unit costs down, the USAF implemented the Alternative Fighter Engine (AFE) program in 1984, under which the engine contract would be awarded through competition. The F110 currently powers 86% of the USAF F-16C/Ds (June 2005).

The F110-GE-100 provides around 4,000 lbf (17.8 kN) more thrust than the F100-PW-200 and requires more air, which led to the increase in the area of the engine intake. The F-16C/D Block 30/32s were the first to be built with a common engine bay, able to accept both engines, with block 30s having the bigger intake (known as "Big Mouth") and block 32s retaining the standard intake.

Initial orders were for the F110-GE-100 rated at 28,000 lbf (125 kN). Later versions of the F110 include the F110-GE-129 delivering 29,400 lbf (131 kN) thrust and the F110-GE-132 delivering 32,000 lbf (142 kN)

The United Arab Emirates’ Block 60 is powered by the General Electric F110-GE-132 turbofan, which is rated at a maximum thrust of 32,500 lbf (144.6 kN), the highest ever developed for the F-16 aircraft.

Applications

• Grumman-Bombardier F-14/CF-184 Tomcat/Supercat
• McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle
  • McDonnell-Douglas F-15I Ra'am
  • Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle
  • Boeing F-15SG Strike Eagle
• General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
• Bombardier CF-190XV/A Crossbow
• Mitsubishi F-2 Viper Zero
• TAI TF Kaan

Variants

• F110-GE100: 16,600 lbf; 28,000 lbf
• F110-GE129: 17,910 lbf; 29,160 lbf
• F110-GE132: 20,200 lbf; 32,500 lbf
• F110-GE400: 18,640 lbf; 28,600 lbf
• F110-GE429: 19,280 lbf; 30,200 lbf
• F110-GE429D: 20,200 lbf; 32,680 lbf