What Happened
New Propulsion System Advances For Uncrewed Combat Aircraft
GE Aerospace has secured a US Air Force contract to advance the development of the GE426 engine, a new propulsion system designed for medium-thrust autonomous combat aircraft. The engine is part of the Air Force’s Autonomous Collaborative Platform effort and is being developed with a focus on performance, affordability, and manufacturability. GE Aerospace will complete the preliminary design review of the GE426 engine, refining its capability, producibility, and cost against Air Force requirements. The company has a broader investment in small, affordable engines for autonomous combat platforms, including the GEK800 and GEK1500 engines, developed in partnership with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. This development was first reported by AeroTime.