GE Aerospace's GE426 engine. (GE image)
WASHINGTON — The Air Force has picked GE Aerospace and Rolls-Royce to advance engine designs that could power future drones and potentially other aircraft, according to a service spokesperson.
The two engine makers were selected for drones the Air Force dubs Medium Thrust Class Autonomous Collaborative Platforms, the spokesperson told Breaking Defense. In a May press release announcing the award, GE said its contract would complete preliminary design review for a new powerplant the company dubs the GE426
“We’ve proven we can rapidly move from concept to engine demonstration with the GEK800” — a smaller, lower-thrust engine GE developed with Kratos for drone and cruise missile applications — “and our focus now is on applying that process to the GE426 to ensure it provides the performance, affordability, and readiness the warfighter needs,” Steve Russell, vice president and general manager of Edison Works at GE, said in the release.
Asked about Rolls-Royce’s award, which has not been publicly announced, company executive Candice Bineyard in a statement to Breaking Defense today touted the firm’s “AE engine family” without specifying the powerplant in question. The AE 3007N engine, for example, is currently used on the Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray, which made its first flight in April.
