DALLAS, TX – March 10, 2025 – GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) is driving innovation by advancing hybrid-electric propulsion technologies through significant investment in cutting-edge demonstrators and strategic partnerships. These technologies are being showcased at the 2025 Verticon Conference this week.
“As we look to the future of flight, hybrid electric propulsion presents a transformative opportunity to enhance efficiency and performance across commercial and military aviation,” said Darin DiTommaso, vice president of engineering for GE Aerospace Defense & Systems. “By leveraging our expertise in both traditional gas turbine engines and electrical systems, GE Aerospace is pioneering scalable hybrid electric solutions that will shape the next era of aviation.”
The company’s hybrid electric demonstrators to test the integration of electrical power systems with turboshaft, turboprop, and turbofan gas engines include:
- Sikorsky HEX (Hybrid-Electric eXperimental): Advancing vertical flight technologies, this program involves the integration of a GE Aerospace hybrid-electric system comprised of a CT7 turboshaft engine, electric motor/generator and associated power electronics to power Sikorsky’s hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) demonstrator.
- Army ARC-STEP (Applied Research Collaborative Systematic Turboshaft Electrification Project): The program focused on the research, development, and testing of a MW-class electrified powerplant and the further evaluation of how hybrid electric systems can enhance military rotorcraft performance, delivering operational efficiencies and tactical advantages.
- EPFD (Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration): This program centers on the development and testing of a megawatt (MW)-class hybrid electric powertrain for ground and flight tests this decade in collaboration with NASA and Boeing. This effort looks to enhance commercial aviation’s understanding of flightworthy hybrid electric engine architectures for improved fuel efficiency and performance compared to today’s commercial aircraft engines.
- Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration: As part of a hybrid electric demonstrator engine program with NASA, teams will embed electric motor/generators in a high-bypass commercial turbofan to supplement power during different phases of operation, creating a system that can work with or without energy storage like batteries.
These demonstrators are generating critical insights that are shaping the next generation of hybrid-electric propulsion systems.
“At GE Aerospace, we think the future of flight is more electric. To that end, we’re pursuing a range of hybrid electric programs that will demonstrate the integration of power electronics with gas turbines compatible with multiple energy sources, meeting our customers’ needs for more efficient propulsion systems,” said Christine Andrews, executive hybrid electric systems leader for GE Aerospace.
In addition, GE Aerospace is collaborating with Bell for the DARPA SPRINT HSVTOL (High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing) program. Beyond these programs, GE Aerospace has developed convertible engine technologies, which merge the capabilities of turbofans and turboshafts, as well as hybrid-electric propulsors that could be applicable to future HSVTOL applications.
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About GE Aerospace
GE Aerospace is a global aerospace propulsion, services, and systems leader with an installed base of approximately 45,000 commercial and 25,000 military aircraft engines. With a global team of approximately 53,000 employees building on more than a century of innovation and learning, GE Aerospace is committed to inventing the future of flight, lifting people up, and bringing them home safely. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future at www.geaerospace.com.
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