 | |
 Headquarters complex inEvendale, Ohio | |
| GE Aerospace | |
| Formerly |
|
| Company type | Public |
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Predecessor | General Electric |
| Founded | 1917; 108 years ago (1917)[1] |
| Headquarters | , U.S.[2] |
Key people | H. Lawrence Culp Jr. (Chairman &CEO) |
| Revenue |  US$38.7 billion (2024) |
 US$7.62 billion (2024) | |
| US$6.56 billion (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$123.1 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$19.3 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | 53,000 (2024) |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | geaerospace.com |
| Footnotes / references [3] | |
General Electric Company, doing business asGE Aerospace,[4] is an Americanaircraft engine supplier that is headquartered inEvendale, Ohio, outsideCincinnati. It is the legal successor to the originalGeneral Electric Company founded in 1892, which split into three separate companies between November 2021 and April 2024, adopting the trade name GE Aerospace after divesting itshealthcare andenergy divisions.[5][6]
GE Aerospace both manufactures engines under its name and partners with other manufacturers to produce engines.CFM International, the world's leading supplier of aircraft engines and GE's most successful partnership, is a 50/50 joint venture with the French companySafran Aircraft Engines. As of 2020, CFM International holds 39% of the world's commercial aircraft engine market share (while GE Aerospace itself holds a further 14%).[7] GE Aerospace's main competitors in the engine market arePratt & Whitney andRolls-Royce.
The division operated under the name ofGeneral Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE) until September 2005, and asGE Aviation until July 2022. In July 2022, GE Aviation changed its name to GE Aerospace[8] in a move executives say reflects the engine maker's intention to broaden its focus beyond aircraft engines. In April 2024, GE Aerospace became the only business line of the former General Electric conglomerate, after it had completed the divestiture ofGE HealthCare andGE Vernova (its energy businesses division).[9]
General Electric had a long history in steam turbine work, dating back to the 1900s. In 1903 they hiredSanford Alexander Moss, who started the development ofturbosuperchargers at GE. This led to a series of record-breaking flights over the next ten years. At first, the role of the high-altitude flight was limited, but in the years immediately prior to WWII they became standard equipment on practically all military aircraft. GE was a world leader in this technology; most other firms concentrated on the mechanically simpler supercharger driven by the engine itself, while GE had spent considerable effort developing the exhaust-driven turbo system that offered higher performance.
This work made them the natural industrial partner to developjet engines whenFrank Whittle'sW.1 engine was demonstrated toHap Arnold in 1941.[10] A production license was arranged in September, and several of the existing W.1 test engines shipped to the US for study, where they were converted to US manufacture as theI-A. GE quickly started production of improved versions; the I-16 (J31) was produced in limited numbers starting in 1942, and the much more powerful I-40 (J33) followed in 1944, which went on to power the first US combat-capable jet fighters, theP-80 Shooting Star.
Early jet engine work took place at GE's Syracuse, New York, (steam turbine) andLynn, Massachusetts, (supercharger) plants, but soon concentrated at the Lynn plants.[11] On 31 July 1945 the Lynn plant became the "Aircraft Gas Turbine Division". GE was repeatedly unable to deliver enough engines for Army and Navy demand, and production of the I-40 (now known as theJ33) was also handed toAllison Engines in 1944. After the war ended, the Army canceled its orders for GE-built J33s and turned the entire production over to Allison,[12] and the Syracuse plant closed.
These changes in fortune led to debate within the company about carrying on in the aircraft engine market. However, the engineers at Lynn pressed ahead with the development of a new engine, the TG-180, which was designatedJ35 by the US military.[13]
Development funds were allotted in 1946 for a more powerful version of the same design, the TG-190. This engine finally emerged as the famedGeneral Electric J47, which saw a great demand for several military aircraft; a second manufacturing facility inEvendale, Ohio, nearCincinnati, was opened. J47 production ran to 30,000 engines by the time the lines closed down in 1956. Further development of the J47 by led to theJ73, and from there into the much more powerfulJ79. The J79 was GE's second "hit", leading to a production run of 17,000 in several different countries. The GE andLockheed team that developed the J79 and theF-104 Mach 2 fighter aircraft received the 1958Collier Trophy for outstanding technical achievement in aviation. Other successes followed, including theT58 andT64turboshaft engines, theJ85 turbojet, andF404 turbofan.
Starting in 1961, General Electric started one of their most important research and development efforts, the GE1 technology demonstrator (originally designated the X101). The GE1 was a basic gas generator (compressor, combustor and turbine) onto which a variety of components such as fans, afterburners or other thrust vectoring devices could be added later. The design incorporated technologies such as a scaled compressor with variable stator vanes, an annular combustor, turbine-cooling advancements, and new materials for several government research programs. The US Government initially supported development of the GE1 to produce theJ97 engine. The GE1 design and technology helped General Electric produce a range of engines, including the GE1/6 turbofan demonstrator for theTF39 engine theGE4 for theBoeing 2707 supersonic airliner, and the GE9 engine for the USAF's Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, laterGE F101 engines for theB-1 bomber.:[14][15] TheGeneral Electric F101 was later developed into theGeneral Electric F110 andCFM International CFM56 engines.
TheTF39 was the firsthigh-bypass turbofan engine to enter production.[16] Entered into theC-5 Galaxy contest in 1964 against similar designs fromCurtiss-Wright andPratt & Whitney, GE's entry was selected as the winner during the final down-select in 1965. This led to a civilian model, theCF6,[17] which was offered for theLockheed L-1011 andMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 projects. Although Lockheed later changed their engine to theRolls-Royce RB211, the DC-10 continued with the CF6, and this success led to widespread sales on many large aircraft including theBoeing 747.
Another military-to-civilian success followed when GE was selected to supply engines for theS-3 Viking andFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, developing a small high-bypass engine using technologies from the TF39. The resultingTF34 was adapted to become theCF34, whose wide variety of models powers many of theregional jets flying today.[18]
In the early 1970s, GE was also selected to develop a modernturboshaft engine for helicopter use, theT700. It has been further developed as theCT7 turboprop engine for regional transports.
In 1974, GE entered into an agreement withSnecma of France, formingCFM International to jointly produce a new mid-sized turbofan, which emerged as theCFM56. A 50/50 joint partnership was formed[19] with a new plant inEvendale, OH to produce the design. At first, sales were very difficult to come by, and the project was due to be canceled. Only two weeks before this was to happen, in March 1979, several companies selected the CFM56 to re-engine their existingDouglas DC-8 fleets.[20] By July 2010, CFM International had delivered their 21,000th engine of the CFM56 family, with an ongoing production rate of 1250 per year, against a four-year production backlog.[21]
The success of the CFM led GE to join in several similar partnerships, includingGarrett AiResearch for theCFE CFE738,Pratt & Whitney on theEngine Alliance GP7000, and, more recently,Honda for theGE Honda Aero Engines small turbofan project. GE also continued the development of its own lines, introducing new civilian models like theGE90, and military designs like theGeneral Electric F110.
GE and competitor Rolls-Royce were selected byBoeing to power its new787. GE Aviation's offering is theGEnx, a development of the GE90. The engine was also the exclusive power plant on theBoeing 747-8.
The Lynn facility continues to assemble jet engines for theUnited StatesDepartment of Defense, subsidiary services, and commercial operators. Engines assembled at this plant include theF404,F414,T700, andCFE738. The plant at Lynn also produces the -3 and -8 variants of theCF34 regional jet engine, the CT7 commercial turboprop power plant, and commercial versions of the T700 turboshaft which are also called the CT7.
The Evendale plant conducts final assembly for theCFM International'sCFM56,CF6, as well asLM6000, andLM2500 power plants.
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TheDurham, North Carolina, facility conducts final assembly for theCFM LEAP, GEnx, CFM56,GE90, GP7200, andCF34 power plants.
Crucial parts for these engines are crafted in secondary GE Aviation facilities, such as those inBromont, Quebec;Hooksett, New Hampshire;Wilmington, North Carolina;Asheville, North Carolina;Madisonville, Kentucky;Rutland, Vermont; andMuskegon, Michigan; where the engine blades and vanes are manufactured.
Smiths Group andGeneral Electric announced on January 15, 2007, that the former was divestingSmiths Aerospace to the latter for£2.4 billion (US$ 4.8 billion).[22] GE Aviation closed the transaction on May 4, 2007.[23] Smiths Aerospace, which was an important supplier, became an operating subsidiary of GE Aviation known asGE Aviation Systems. This acquisition will reportedly give the combined unit the clout to resist pricing pressures from its two largest customers,Boeing andAirbus.[22] Analysts further assert that it enables General Electric to acquire assets similar to those it desired in its failed bid forHoneywell in 2000.[22]
Along with the purchase of Smiths Aerospace, the purchase included opening the firstUniversity Development Center atMichigan Technological University inHoughton, Michigan, in the effort to work with engineering students to provide training in engineering and software development. The program has performed well and GE Aviation has announced further UDC openings atKansas State University.In July 2008, governments in thePersian Gulf reached agreements with GE to expand engine maintenance operations there. TheWall Street Journal reported thatMubadala Development Company, which owns Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, an overhaul, and maintenance company, signed an agreement worth an estimated $8 billion with GE; Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies will maintain and overhaul GE engines used in commercial aircraft purchased by airlines based in the Persian Gulf.[24]
On December 23, 2012, GE announced that it has agreed to purchase the aeronautical division ofAvio, an Italy-based manufacturer of aviation propulsion components and systems for civil and military aircraft, for $4.3 billion U.S. (EUR3.3 billion).[25]
GE Aviation follows through to develop asupersonic engine concept forAerion with a configuration accommodating reasonably well requirements for supersonic speed, subsonic speed and noise levels.[26]
On July 18, 2022, GE announced that GE Aviation had been renamed "GE Aerospace",[8] and would become the successor to the GE company once the spinoffs of its subsidiaries are completed. GE Aerospace will own the GE trademark and logo, and will license the brand to the other companies,GE HealthCare andGE Vernova.[27]
Recently, they have started incorporating 3D printing technologies in their engines and have incorporated the manufacturing process in the newly designedGE9X, the largest jet engine in the world.[28]
GE acquiredArcam EBM forelectron beam melting, Concept Laser forlaser melting, and material provider AP&C.Metal casting improves through competition with metaladditive manufacturing, for which GE Additive believes it will soon compete with metalforging which will then be enhanced in response.Additive manufacturing is focused on new builds but can be used for part replacement: when complexity rise, costs can stays level – for example, replacing a turbine consisting of 300 components with one piece.The electron beam melting has good speed for economy,precision to reduce processing work, and size capability for larger parts; the hot process reducesstresses in the part and penetrates deeper than laser for thicker parts with coarser, cheapermetal powders.Additive techniques can be used across the engine and even in the over 1,500 °F (820 °C) hot section.They are used in theCT7combustor liner, forGE9X low pressureturbine blades – the first rotating parts – and for 16 parts in theATP, including an 80 partsheat exchanger consolidated into one.[29]
| Model name | Thrust |
|---|---|
| General Electric I-A | 1,250 lbf (5.6 kN) |
| General Electric J31 | 1,650 lbf (7.3 kN) |
| General Electric J33 | 4,600 lbf (20 kN) |
| General Electric J35 | 5,600 lbf (25 kN) |
| General Electric J47 | 5,970 lbf (26.6 kN) |
| General Electric J79 | 11,870 lbf (52.8 kN) |
| General Electric CJ805 | 11,650 lbf (51.8 kN) |
| General Electric J85 | 2,400–5,000 lbf (11–22 kN) |
| General Electric CJ610 | 3,100 lbf (14 kN) |
| Model name | Thrust |
|---|---|
| General Electric CJ805-23 | 11,650 lbf (51.8 kN) |
| General Electric CF700 | 4,200 lbf (19 kN) |
| General Electric TF39 | 43,300 lbf (193 kN) |
| General Electric CF6 | 41,500 lbf (185 kN) |
| General Electric F101 | 17,390 lbf (77.4 kN) |
| General Electric TF34 | 9,275 lbf (41.26 kN) |
| General Electric CF34 | 9,220 lbf (41.0 kN) |
| General Electric F404 | 11,000 lbf (49 kN) |
| CFM International CFM56 | 24,000–21,580 lbf (106.8–96.0 kN) |
| General Electric F110 | 17,155 lbf (76.31 kN) |
| General Electric F118 | 19,000 lbf (85 kN) |
| General Electric YF120 | 23,500 lbf (105 kN) |
| CFE CFE738 | 5,900 lbf (26 kN) |
| General Electric GE90 | 81,000–115,000 lbf (360–510 kN) |
| General Electric F414 | 13,000 lbf (58 kN) |
| GE Honda HF120 | 2,050 lbf (9.1 kN) |
| General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 | 25,000 lbf (110 kN) |
| Engine Alliance GP7200 | 81,500 lbf (363 kN) |
| General Electric GEnx | 69,800 lbf (310 kN) |
| CFM International LEAP | 32,160 lbf (143.1 kN) |
| General Electric Passport | 17,745–18,920 lbf (78.93–84.16 kN) |
| General Electric GE9X | 110,000 lbf (490 kN) |
| General Electric Affinity | 16,000–20,000 lbf (71–89 kN) |
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| Model name | Power |
|---|---|
| General Electric T31 | 2,300 hp (1,700 kW) |
| General Electric T700 | 1,735 hp (1,294 kW) |
| General Electric H80 | 800 hp (600 kW) |
| General Electric Catalyst | 1,300 hp (970 kW) |
| Model name | Thrust |
|---|---|
| General Electric GE36 | 25,000 lbf (110 kN) |
| Model name | Power |
|---|---|
| General Electric T58 | 1,250 hp (930 kW) |
| General Electric T64 | 4,330 hp (3,230 kW) |
| General Electric T700 | 1,622 hp (1,210 kW) |
| General Electric GE38 | 7,500 hp (5,600 kW) |
| Model name | Power |
|---|---|
| General Electric LM500 | 4.5 MW (6,000 hp) |
| General Electric LM1500 | 7.4 MW (9,900 hp) |
| General Electric LM1600 | 15 MW (20,000 hp) |
| General Electric LM2500 | 25–35 MW (34,000–47,000 hp) |
| General Electric LM5000 | 35 MW (47,000 hp) |
| General Electric LM6000 | 41–52 MW (55,000–70,000 hp) |
| General Electric LM9000 | 65 MW (87,000 hp) |
| General Electric LMS100 | 100 MW (130,000 hp) |
The official finalization of the separation comes Tuesday, with General Electric disappearing in favor of GE Vernova, dealing with energy activities, and GE Aerospace, the new name of the late GE.
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
