Article Posted on : - Aug 10, 2012

F-15 fighters. A Boeing photo.

EVENDALE, OHIO (BNS): The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) has selected the GE Aviation-made F110-GE-129E engines to power its new F-15 fighter jets it has ordered from the US.

The RSAF has placed an order for a total of 193 F110-GE-129E engines that will be fitted on the 84 Boeing-made F-15SA fighters.

Saudi Arabia has signed a contract with the US totaling USD 29.4 billion that includes 84 F-15SA fighters and upgrades to its existing fleet of 70 F-15s.

With the order, the RSAF becomes the largest operator of F110 engines other than the US government. This follows earlier RSAF orders for 156 engines to power 71 re-engined F-15S aircraft, GE said.

The Saudi engines will feature service life extension hardware, which includes three-dimensional aerodynamic (3D aero) technology and upgrades to the combustor and high-pressure turbine.

The enhancements will provide up to a 25 percent improvement in cost-per-flying hour, a significant time-on-wing increase, and elimination of special inspections, the engine manufacturer said.

Deliveries of the new engines will begin from 2013, it said.