GE Aviation awarded US$1bn Adaptive Engine Transition Program contract from US Air Force

The United States Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), based at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, awarded GE Aviation a US$1bn contract to continue maturing its three-stream adaptive cycle engine via the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP). AETP is scheduled to run through 2021 with extensive component, rig and engine testing. AETP technology has undergone initial development under the auspices of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) through the Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology (ADVENT) program that began in 2007 and the Adaptive Engine Technology Development (AETD) program that began in 2012. GE Aviation completed its AETD Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in March 2015. This key review was held with leaders from the US Air Force, Navy and NASA following testing of the industry’s first and only adaptive-cycle, three-stream engine in 2014. GE’s adaptive cycle, three-stream engine extends aircraft operating range by more than 30%, improves fuel consumption by 25% and increases thrust by more than 10%. With the AETP and follow-on development programs, GE’s engine could be ready to power the US military’s most advanced combat jets.