GKN Aerospace successfully tests new Gripen engine

GKN Aerospace has successfully completed the first test run of the RM16 engine that will power the Swedish Air Force’s JAS 39 Gripen E, the company announced on 27 October.

The RM16 is based on the GE F414 aero-engine used in the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

GKN Aerospace said it has been collaborating with GE and Gripen manufacturer Saab to construct the necessary infrastructure to support the new engine.

The Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) selected GKN Aerospace to be the product support and MRO provider for the RM16 in 2020.

‘Air defence is a vital part of the armed forces' operational capability as we continue to protect Sweden,’ Göran Mårtensson, DG of the FMV, noted in a 27 October statement.

‘GKN Aerospace has long been an important supplier in the aircraft engine domain, and I am convinced that it is both economically and operationally the best solution to retain this capability in Sweden, especially with the current levels of uncertainty around the world,’ he added.

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