Honeywell engines for Israeli trainers

ROLLE, Switzerland, Sept. 5 (UPI)

U.S. company Honeywell is to supply F124-GA-200 turbofan engines for trainer aircraft purchased by Israel from Italy's Alenia Aermacchi.

The contract for the engines for 30 M-346 jet trainers includes spares and aftermarket support and is worth about $735 million.

Honeywell signed the deal on behalf of International Turbine Engine Company LLC, a joint venture with Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. Representing the Israeli Ministry of Defense was Tor, a joint venture between Elbit Systems and Israeli Aerospace Industries.

"The F124 is a core element of the M-346 platform, giving pilots unrestricted surge-free use of the engines they need to train in the widest possible range of flight conditions," said Massimo Lucchesini, chief operating officer, Operations, Alenia Aermacchi.

"It offers best-in-class, thrust-to-weight ratio, providing afterburner-like agility coupled with exceptionally low fuel consumption. This enables the M-346 to deliver combat aircraft levels of performance, while providing the operator with unrivalled low life-cycle cost and high reliability and safety."

Honeywell said the F124 engine produces more than 6,000 pounds of thrust, continuously monitors its own performance status, and because of its modular design, many key components can be replaced easily on the tarmac.