Avio Aero, a GE Aviation business based in Italy, has signed a memorandum of understanding with semi-conductor specialist Iones on future cooperation on products for the Korean Aerospace KF-X multirole fighter project. The work will focus on a new-design gearbox for driving the hydraulic pump and main generator and for transmitting power to the GE F414 engines.

Iones recently certified a power takeoff shaft connecting the engine and gearbox for the Sukhoi T-50, and is viewed as a candidate for doing the same with the KF-X. If successful in their bid to join the KF-X team, the two companies would cooperate on verifying the dynamic behavior and interaction of the complete drivetrain and optimize the design of the overall system, as well as its individual components.