The Australian Defense Force has announced engine upgrades for Royal Australian Air Force Super Hornet and Growler aircraft to be performed by TAE Aerospace. TAE Aerospace will upgrade the test system for the F414 engines including control and data acquisition system (CDAS) software and hardware, which is reaching the end of its supportable life.
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The project will upgrade the CDAS in both the primary F414 engine test cell at RAAF Base Amberley and the backup test cell at RAAF Base Williamtown by mid-2025, maintaining redundancy in F414 engine test capability in Australia.
“TAE is extremely proud and excited to be engaged by Defense to deliver this test system upgrade project over the next two years, and in doing so, will assure the future of the F414 engine testing capability in Australia,” said TAE chief executive officer Andrew Sanderson. TAE has previously completed a major modification to the RAAF Amberley engine test facility in 2021, which enabled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter F135 engines to be tested in Australia.
Val Lawson, director of enabling services for the Air Combat and Electronic Attack Systems Program Office, said the system had served Defense well for more than a decade. “TAE’s comprehensive system upgrades will now ensure that these critical engine test facilities remain reliable and sustainable to support our air combat capabilities well into the next decade,” Lawson said.