PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC
P&W F100-229 is facing a strong challenge from GE's F110-129 for the F-15K Eagle
South Korea's F-X fighter competition is witnessing a re-run of the US Air Force's "great engine war" with an increasingly fierce exchange of claim and counter claim between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney over their respective F110-129 and F100-229 turbofan offerings to power the proposed Boeing F-15K Eagle.
South Korea will make a final airframe and engine selection next month, with the US Government-backed F-15K regarded by many as the front runner. GE is mounting a strong challenge with the F110-129 against the incumbent P&W F100-229, as this represents the last likely opportunity to launch a new build F-15 application and is critical to persuading the USAF to re-engine a portion of its fleet.
P&W's F100-229 has been in USAF service for 10 years, during which it is claimed the engine suffered several stalls and at least 20 shutdowns. GE adds that while clocking up 1,955h in F-15E qualification of its -129 between 1997-99, none of the six engines involved stalled, shut down or were removed. GE hopes to convince South Korea that the engine is 30-50% cheaper to operate and has 10-12% more range depending on the mission.
P&W acknowledges two non-recoverable inflight shut downs (NRISD) in the past three years and, since 1997, says it has addressed earlier problems with a Component Improvement Programme, including stronger gearbox bearings to handle power take-off driveshaft loads and extra cooling. The USAF has earmarked extra funds to improve the -229's stall margin with cutback second stage stators and dampen fuel nozzle vibratory stress.
Many of these issues relate to the more demanding performance placed on the -229 by the F-15E compared to the similarly powered Lockheed Martin F-16C/D, says P&W. It adds that having accumulated 500,000 engine flight hours (EFH), it is now regarded as a mature engine. "You have to wonder if another engine was put into the same difficult environment whether it would experience the same problem," says Dennis Enos, P&W vice president.
P&W claims the -229 in USAF F-16 service has suffered no engine-caused NRISD during 100,000 EFH, whereas GE concedes the -129 has had four during 475,000 EFH worldwide. P&W's record however is tarnished by the loss of two South Korean -229-powered F-16s as the result of corroded fuel line hoses, blamed on supplier quality control. P&W believes that operating costs are within 5% of each other, but the USAF has declined a request by South Korea to release independent data.
Source: Flight International
