FARNBOROUGH - Having amassed 31,000 hours of ground and flight testing, the F414-GE-400 engine is now in production and operational on U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.The F414 performed flawlessly during the U.S. Navy's Operational Evaluation of the Super Hornet, culminating with an announcement earlier this year that the Super Hornet is "operationally effective and operationally suitable" - the highest grade possible. Soon after, the Super Hornet, the U.S. Navy, Boeing, GE Aircraft Engines, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon were awarded the prestigious Collier Trophy, an annual recognition of the greatest achievement in aeronautics and astronautics.The U.S. Navy has ordered 62 Super Hornets and 140 F414 engines during the low rate initial production phase, and plans to ultimately buy a minimum of 548 aircraft. A multi-year procurement plan for the Super Hornet has been approved for the next full rate production phase, and U.S. Navy approval of the F414 full rate production Lot IV contract for 73 engines is imminent. Rated at 22,000 pounds (98 kN) thrust, with a nine-to-one thrust-to-weight ratio, the F414 has 35 percent greater thrust than its successful F404 predecessor, which powers some 1,350 F/A-18 legacy Hornets worldwide. GE has defined a growth development road map for the F414 that will increase its thrust by as much as 25 percent.F404: The F414 is derived from GE's F404 - the world's most ubiquitous fighter engine. More than 3,700 F404 engines are in service, powering the aircraft of several military services worldwide, including the F-117 Stealth Fighters of the U.S. Air Force and the F/A-18 fighter/attack aircraft of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and other governments worldwide. F404 derivatives also power Singapore's A-4SU Super Skyhawk and Sweden's JAS39 Gripen. South Africa has 28 Gripens on order with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2005.In June, Korea Aerospace Industries and the Air Force of the Republic of Korea conducted a Critical Design Review of the F404 in yet another application: the T-50 advanced trainer/light combat aircraft. A variant of the F404-402 engine, the F404-102 engine, is being modified to power the single engine T-50 by incorporating specific reliability and redundancy features and a new control system with an advanced, F414-based full authority digital electronic control (FADEC).In addition, the -102 design places particular emphasis on commonality with the in-service F404s, which have accumulated more than eight million flight hours under extremely demanding operating conditions around the world. GE is supporting Korea Aerospace Industries which, in association with Lockheed Martin Corporation, is developing the cost-effective trainer/combat aircraft. GE is on contract for the full-scale development program, including engineering development and flight test engines, and has signed a long-term production agreement. Flight testing is scheduled to begin in 2001 with production scheduled for 2005.Both the F414 and the F404 engines are under consideration to power another new application, the Mako light combat/advanced trainer aircraft currently being developed by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace for export beyond the year 2005.