The U.S. Air Force and GE have successfully concluded testing on GE's second XA100 adaptive cycle engine at the Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). With testing at AEDC completed, GE has accomplished the final major contract milestone of the Air Force's Adaptive Engine Transition Programme (AETP), which began in 2016.
“This is the culmination of more than a decade of methodical risk reduction and testing GE has completed with the Air Force across three different adaptive cycle engine programmes,” said David Tweedie, GE Edison Works' Vice President and General Manager for advanced Products. “The engine performance data we gathered at AEDC continued to show the XA100's transformational capability, while also demonstrating a return on substantial Air Force and taxpayer investment. We now stand ready to transition to an Engineering and Manufacturing Development programme and bring this engine to the field with the F-35 before the end of this decade.”