GE Aviation has delivered the first F414-GE-400K turbofan engine to power the South Korean next-generation indigenous fighter known as the...
GE Aviation has delivered the first F414-GE-400K turbofan engine to power the South Korean next-generation indigenous fighter known as the KF-X.
South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (KAI) is developing the multi-role twin engined KF-X fighter under a $7.4 billion project to replace ageing South Korean Air Force F-4D/E Phantom II and F-5E/F Tiger II fleet.
The development program is scheduled to be completed in 2026, which includes the production of 15 F414 flight test engines to power six prototype fighters by 2021.
Flight testing is planned to commence in 2023. South Korean plans to produce 120 KF-X aircraft for its armed forces.
The engine has a thrust of 98 kN and 9:1 thrust to weight ratio. The two engines will provide a combined 20 tonne (196 kN) thrust. The KF-X has a max take off weight of 26 tonnes and an empty weight of 12 tonnes.
GE’s F414 engine entered service in 1998 and has flown more than 4.6 million flight hours with more than 1,750 engines delivered.
The F414 currently powers Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, Saab’s JAS 39E/F Gripen and has been selected to power India’s Tejas Mark 2 fighter and Lockheed Martin and NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Transport.
