The General Electric F110 is an afterburning turbofan jet engine produced by GE Aerospace (formerly GE Aviation). It was derived from the General Electric F101 as an alternative engine to the Pratt & Whitney F100 for powering tactical fighter aircraft, with the F-16C Fighting Falcon and F-14A+/B Tomcat being the initial platforms; the F110 would eventually power new F-15 Eagle variants as well. The engine is also built by IHI Corporation in Japan, TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI) in Turkey, and Samsung Techwin in South Korea as part of licensing agreements.
41-672: The F118 is a non-afterburning variant of the F110 that powers the Northrop B-2 stealth bomber and Lockheed U-2S reconnaissance aircraft. The F110 emerged from an intersection of efforts in the 1970s by General Electric to reenter the U.S. fighter engine market and the U.S. Air Force's desire to address the reliability, longevity, and maintenance issues with the Pratt & Whitney F100 engines that powered its F-15s and F-16s . In 1975, General Electric used its own funds to begin developing
82-429: A Rolls-Royce Olympus Mk 320. In the 1970s, NASA and Pratt and Whitney experimented with their first experimental FADEC, first flown on an F-111 fitted with a highly modified Pratt & Whitney TF30 left engine. The experiments led to Pratt & Whitney F100 and Pratt & Whitney PW2000 being the first military and civil engines, respectively, fitted with FADEC, and later the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 as
123-471: A FADEC. The flight crew first enters flight data such as wind conditions, runway length, or cruise altitude, into the flight management system (FMS). The FMS uses this data to calculate power settings for different phases of the flight. At take-off, the flight crew advances the power lever to a predetermined setting, or opts for an auto-throttle take-off if available. The FADECs now apply the calculated take-off thrust setting by sending an electronic signal to
164-606: A total FADEC failure occurs, the engine fails. If the engine is controlled digitally and electronically but allows for manual override, it is considered to be an EEC or ECU . An EEC, though a component of a FADEC, is not by itself FADEC. When standing alone, the EEC makes all of the decisions until the pilot wishes to intervene. The term FADEC is often misused for partial digital engine controls, such as those only electronically controlling fuel and ignition. A turbocharged piston engine would require digital control over all intake airflow to meet
205-738: Is a low-bypass axial-flow afterburning turbofan. It has a 3-stage fan driven by a two-stage low-pressure turbine and a 9-stage compressor driven by a one-stage high-pressure turbine; overall pressure ratio is 30.4 and bypass ratio is 0.87. In contrast to the ambitious raw performance goals for the F100 of high thrust and low weight, the F110 placed a greater emphasis on balancing between reliability, operability, and performance. The fan and inlet guide vanes were designed to smooth airflow to increase resistance to compressor stalls. The engine has an electronic and hydromechanical control system that make it more forgiving of rapid throttle inputs. The main difference between
246-610: Is a non-afterburning turbofan engine produced by GE Aviation , and is derived from the General Electric F110 afterburning turbofan. The F118 is a non-afterburning derivative of the F110 specially developed for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. A single stage HP turbine drives the 9 stage HP compressor, while a 2-stage LP turbine drives the 3 stage fan. The combustor is annular. In 1998, the USAF's Lockheed U-2S fleet
287-791: Is powered by the 32,500 lbf (144.6 kN) F110-GE-132, as was the proposed Lockheed Martin-Tata F-21, based on the Block 60 and initially designated F-16IN, for the Indian Air Force MMRCA competition. Current production F-16C Block 70 are equipped with the F110-129D with increased lifespan and durability. Two derivatives of the F-16, the Mitsubishi F-2 and the General Dynamics F-16XL , are powered by
328-452: Is to allow the engine to perform at maximum efficiency for a given condition. Originally, engine control systems consisted of simple mechanical linkages connected physically to the engine. By moving these levers the pilot or the flight engineer could control fuel flow, power output, and many other engine parameters. The Kommandogerät mechanical/hydraulic engine control unit for Germany's BMW 801 piston aviation radial engine of World War II
369-462: Is to provide optimum engine efficiency for a given flight condition. FADEC not only provides for efficient engine operation, it also allows the manufacturer to program engine limitations and receive engine health and maintenance reports. For example, to avoid exceeding a certain engine temperature, the FADEC can be programmed to automatically take the necessary measures without pilot intervention. With
410-1005: The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) to power its F-15SG. The F-15E would be further developed into the Advanced Eagle with a new fly-by-wire control system that incorporates the F110-GE-129's FADEC. The Advanced Eagle with the F110-129E would be the basis for Saudi Arabia 's F-15SA, Qatar 's F-15QA, and the U.S. Air Force's F-15EX . Data from American Society of Mechanical Engineers , Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Data from General Electric, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) , MTU Data from General Electric, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Forecast International Related development Comparable engines Related lists General Electric F118 The General Electric F118
451-405: The crash of an Airbus A400M aircraft at Seville Spain on 9 May 2015 . Airbus Chief Strategy Officer Marwan Lahoud confirmed on 29 May that incorrectly installed engine control software caused the fatal crash. "There are no structural defects [with the aircraft], but we have a serious quality problem in the final assembly." A typical civilian transport aircraft flight may illustrate the function of
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#1732779682423492-526: The -100 and the -400 is the latter's augmentor section, being about 50 inches longer. The -100, used on the F-16C/D Block 30/40, had an uninstalled static thrust of 16,600 lbf (73.8 kN) in intermediate power and 28,200 lbf (125.4 kN) in afterburner; the figures for the -400, used on the F-14B/D, were 16,333 lbf (72.7 kN) and 26,950 lbf (119.9 kN) respectively. In
533-560: The -129 IPE. The engines for the F-2 were license-built by IHI Corporation and designated F110-IHI-129, prior to the reporting of an IHI company whistleblower in February 2024. On April 24, 2024, IHI announced that investigation was underway by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of its subsidiary, IHI Power Systems Co., which had falsified its engine data since 2003, impacting over 4,000 engines globally. Although
574-413: The -400's lengthened tailpipe created unanticipated hot spots in the afterburner liner, resulting in the loss of several F-14s before the issue was rectified. The engine produced 26,950 lbf (119.9 kN) of uninstalled thrust with afterburner; installed thrust is 23,400 lbf (104.1 kN) with afterburner at sea level, which rose to 30,200 lbf (134.3 kN) at Mach 0.9. This was similar to
615-795: The Advanced Technology Bomber which became the B-2 ) meant a loss of business for General Electric, and provided further impetus to provide the F101X for the fighter engine market. The engine attracted the interest of the Air Force's Engine Model Derivative Program (EMDP), and in 1979 began funding it as the F101 Derivative Fighter Engine, or F101 DFE. The Air Force saw the F101 DFE as a potential alternative to
656-652: The Air Force chose the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 as the IPE for the F-15E Strike Eagle , a pair of F110-GE-129s were mounted on one aircraft for flight testing. South Korea would choose the -129 to power 40 F-15K fighters, the first time production F-15s were powered by a General Electric engine. The engines were manufactured through a joint licensing agreement with Samsung Techwin Company. It has also been chosen by
697-498: The Alternate Fighter Engine (AFE) competition between the F100 and F110 in 1983 in what was nicknamed "The Great Engine War", where the engine contract would be awarded through competition. The Air Force would buy both engines starting in 1984, with contracts being competed every fiscal year and the percentages of F100 versus F110 would vary based on contract; the competitions eventually ended in 1992. The F101 DFE
738-813: The Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN), was tested on a specially modified F-16 called the NF-16D VISTA under the Multi-Axis Thrust-Vectoring (MATV) program. The F110 would see the development of a further enhanced variant starting in 2000 with the F110-GE-132 , initially referred to as the F110-GE-129EFE (Enhanced Fighter Engine). Both the -132 and its competitor, the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-232, were designed to make full use of
779-605: The F-14's originally intended F401 and provided a significant increase over the TF30's maximum uninstalled thrust of 20,900 lbf (93 kN). These upgraded jets were initially known as F-14A+ before being re-designated as the F-14B, as were new production aircraft powered by the F110. The same engine also powered the final variant of the aircraft, the F-14D. Proposed upgraded variants of
820-625: The F-14, such as the Super Tomcat 21 (ST-21), were to be powered by the F110-GE-429, the naval variant of the F110-GE-129 IPE. 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 Alternate Fighter Engine (AFE) program in 1984, under which the engine contract would be awarded through competition. As of June 2005,
861-794: The F-16's Modular Common Inlet Duct (MCID), or "Big Mouth" inlet introduced in the Block 30 variant. The -132 incorporates an improved fan that is more efficient and can increase maximum airflow, composite fan duct, durability improvements to the hot section, radial augmentor, and control system improvements. The engine leveraged research performed under the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) program. The -132 produces 19,000 lbf (84.5 kN) of thrust in intermediate power and 32,500 lbf (144.6 kN) in afterburner but can also be tuned to run at -129 thrust levels to increase inspection intervals from 4,300 cycles to 6,000;
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#1732779682423902-423: The F100 and also a way to coerce better performance from Pratt & Whitney in addressing issues with the F100. Following the completion of ground tests in 1980, the F101 DFE was first fitted on an F-16 for flight testing, where it showed considerable improvement in performance and operability over the existing F100. In 1982, the Air Force began the full-scale development of the F101 DFE as an option to compete with
943-410: The F100 for application in future F-15 and F-16 production; the engine was eventually selected for the F-16 and designated F110-GE-100 . The threat by the F110 has been cited as a reason for Pratt & Whitney to more quickly rectify the issues affecting the F100 and developing the improved F100-PW-220 variant. Seeking to drive unit costs down and improve contractor performance, the Air Force implemented
984-548: The 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; the F-14's originally planned Pratt & Whitney F401 , an upscaled naval development of the F100 design, was also canceled due to costs and reliability issues. After reviewing
1025-672: The F101X, a derivative of its F101 engine for the B-1 bomber; the F101X would inherit much of the core design while having a smaller fan that was upscaled from the F404 so that its thermodynamic cycle and thrust were better suited for a fighter engine. The convergent-divergent iris nozzle was also derived from the F404. The cancellation of the B-1A by the Carter Administration (in lieu of
1066-578: The F110 powered 86% of the USAF's F-16C/Ds. While the F110-GE-100 can provide around 4,000 lbf (17.8 kN) more thrust than the F100-PW-200, it requires more airflow for the jet to fully exploit the engine; the standard normal shock inlet (NSI) limited the F110 to 25,735 lbf (114.5 kN). This led to the increase in the area of the engine inlet for the MCID. The F-16C/D Block 30/32s were
1107-510: The F110-100, the -129 incorporated component improvements, including a full authority digital engine control ( FADEC ), that allowed maximum thrust to be achieved in a wider range of conditions and across larger portions of the flight envelope, while retaining 80% commonality; bypass ratio was reduced to 0.76. The -129 produces 17,155 lbf (76.3 kN) of thrust in intermediate power and 29,500 lbf (131.2 kN) in full afterburner, and
1148-544: The definition of FADEC. FADEC works by receiving multiple input variables of the current flight condition including air density , power lever request position, engine temperatures, engine pressures, and many other parameters. The inputs are received by the EEC and analyzed up to 70 times per second. Engine operating parameters such as fuel flow, stator vane position, air bleed valve position, and others are computed from this data and applied as appropriate. FADEC also controls engine starting and restarting. The FADEC's basic purpose
1189-628: The designation -129C. Further improved subvariants with 6,000-cycle intervals were designated -129D (for the F-16) and -129E (for the F-15). The -129E also powers the TAI Kaan prototype. 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
1230-477: The engines; there is no direct linkage to open fuel flow. This procedure can be repeated for any other phase of flight. In flight, small changes in operation are constantly made to maintain efficiency. Maximum thrust is available for emergency situations if the power lever is advanced to full, but limitations can not be exceeded; the flight crew has no means of manually overriding the FADEC. Note: Most modern FADEC controlled aircraft engines (particularly those of
1271-527: The first commercial "dual FADEC" engine. The first FADEC in service was the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine developed for the Harrier II by Dowty and Smiths Industries Controls . True full authority digital engine controls have no form of manual override nor manual controls available, placing full authority over all of the operating parameters of the engine in the hands of the computer. If
General Electric F110 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-445: The first to be built with a common engine bay, able to accept both engines, with Block 30s having the bigger MCID inlet (also known as "Big Mouth") for the F110 and Block 32s retaining the standard inlet for the F100. The F-16C/D Block 30 and 40 were powered by the 28,200 lbf (125.4 kN) F110-GE-100, while the Block 50 was powered by the 29,500 lbf (131.2 kN) F110-GE-129 IPE. The United Arab Emirates ' F-16E/F Block 60
1353-482: The mid-1980s, the Air Force sought greater power for its tactical fighters and began Improved Performance Engine (IPE) programs for the F100 and F110, with the goal of achieving thrust in the 29,000 lbf (129 kN) class, while retaining the durability improvements achieved in the F100-PW-220 and F110-GE-100. The result would be the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 and General Electric F110-GE-129 . Compared to
1394-675: The older -129 can be upgraded to the -132 configuration, with the new fan being a modular component. The F110-132 was selected to power the F-16E/F Block 60 for the United Arab Emirates . Engine flight tests began in 2003, and first delivery was in 2005. Technology from the -132 as well as from commercial CFM56 developments are shared with the F110 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP), and F110-129 upgraded with SLEP technology were given
1435-503: The operation of the engines relying on automation, safety is a great concern. Redundancy is provided in the form of two or more separate but identical digital channels. Each channel may provide all engine functions without restriction. FADEC also monitors a variety of data coming from the engine subsystems and related aircraft systems, providing for fault tolerant engine control. Engine control problems simultaneously causing loss of thrust on up to three engines have been cited as causal in
1476-513: The results of the Air Force's AFE evaluation, the Navy would choose the F101 DFE to re-engine the F-14 in 1984, with the variant designated the F110-GE-400; the primary difference between the -400 and the Air Force's F110-GE-100 is length — the -400 had a 50-inch (1.3 m) tailpipe extension to suit the F-14 airframe, which was fitted downstream of the augmentor. During initial years of service,
1517-474: Was also tested in the F-14B prototype in 1981, and the aircraft saw considerable performance improvement over the existing Pratt & Whitney TF30 . Although further testing was halted by the Navy in 1982, it would use the results of the Air Force's AFE evaluation to choose the powerplant for future F-14s. The F101 DFE was eventually chosen by the Navy in 1984 and was designated F110-GE-400 . The F110-GE-100/400
1558-572: Was first fielded in 1992 on the F-16C/D Block 50; the engine would also power enhanced F-15E variants, starting with the F-15K for South Korea. A non-afterburning variant of the F110, designated the F118 , would power the B-2 stealth bomber and the re-engined U-2S reconnaissance aircraft. A variant of the F110-100 fitted with a 3-dimensional axisymmetric thrust vectoring nozzle, referred by General Electric as
1599-575: Was fitted with a modified version of the F118. Data from Related development Related lists FADEC A full authority digital engine (or electronics ) control ( FADEC ) is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an "electronic engine controller" (EEC) or " engine control unit " (ECU), and its related accessories that control all aspects of aircraft engine performance. FADECs have been produced for both piston engines and jet engines . The goal of any engine control system
1640-503: Was just one notable example of this in its later stages of development. This mechanical engine control was progressively replaced first by analogue electronic engine control and, later, digital engine control. Analogue electronic control varies an electrical signal to communicate the desired engine settings. The system was an evident improvement over mechanical control but had its drawbacks, including common electronic noise interference and reliability issues. Full authority analogue control
1681-644: Was used in the 1960s and introduced as a component of the Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engine of the supersonic transport aircraft Concorde . However, the more critical inlet control was digital on the production aircraft. Digital electronic control followed. In 1968, Rolls-Royce and Elliott Automation , in conjunction with the National Gas Turbine Establishment , worked on a digital engine control system that completed several hundred hours of operation on