GE reaches hybrid electric engine milestone

GE Aerospace, the parent company of CFM International, has achieved a significant new testing milestone in hybrid electric aviation, successfully demonstrating power transfer, extraction and injection on a high-bypass commercial turbofan engine.

The achievement follows ground testing of a modified GE Passport engine, completed in 2025 at GE’s Peebles Test Operation as part of NASA’s Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration project. The tests went beyond individual component validation, enabling technical teams to deepen their understanding of full system integration and control for hybrid electric propulsion.

GE Aerospace is developing a hybrid electric architecture for narrow-body aircraft that integrates electric motor-generators directly within a gas turbine engine. This configuration allows electrical power to supplement engine output during different phases of operation. Crucially, the design is optimised to function either with or without onboard energy storage, such as batteries, offering greater flexibility in future aircraft applications.

According to GE Aerospace, the latest tests successfully demonstrated a narrow-body hybrid electric engine architecture that does not require energy storage to operate. This marks an important step towards making hybrid electric propulsion viable for commercial aviation, supporting goals for improved efficiency, durability and operational range.

The results exceeded NASA’s technical performance benchmarks, which were defined using industry input to reflect engine capabilities capable of delivering meaningful fuel cost savings while meeting the power demands of future aircraft designs.

The Power Extraction Demonstration forms part of a wider portfolio of technology development activities within the CFM International RISE (revolutionary innovation for sustainable engines) programme. Launched in 2021, RISE is one of the most comprehensive technology demonstrator efforts in the aviation industry. To date, it has involved more than 350 tests and over 3,000 endurance cycles, covering advanced concepts such as Open Fan architectures, compact cores and hybrid electric systems.

The RISE programme places strong emphasis on safety, durability and efficiency, with a target of achieving more than a 20% improvement in fuel burn compared with today’s in-service commercial engines. Technologies developed under the programme are progressing towards ground and flight testing later this decade, alongside ongoing work on aircraft and engine integration in collaboration with industry partners.