Sen. Patrick Leahy announced Thursday that GE Aviation in Rutland will be awarded a $1 billion contract to continue development of a three-steam adaptive cycle engine.
The contract is awarded by the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and the continued development will be through GE Aviation’s Adaptive Engine Transition Program, which began in 2012 and is now scheduled to run through 2021, according to the press release.
GE Aviation, is a provider of jet, turboshaft and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft, with a global service network.
“This was an intense competition that draws on the skill, the workforce and the reputation of GE Aviation’s team in Rutland,” Leahy said. “The advances these engines will bring hold great potential to make our aircraft both more powerful and more fuel efficient, while assuring continued US military superiority in combat aviation.”
Dan McCormick, general manager of GE Aviation’s Advanced Combat Engine programs, said for the past decade the company has partnered with the Department of Defense to design, manufacture and test their combination of engine architecture, compression technology, cooling technology and material technology advancements.
“We are honored to continue our work with [the Air Force Research Laboratory] while initiating the next phase of the technology maturation with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, transitioning our learnings as the only engine manufacturer to have successfully tested a full three-stream adaptive cycle engine,” McCormick said.
McCormick said that they will continue to deliver engines that meet the Department of Defense’s “aggressive performance and cost targets.”
“We believe GE is best positioned to integrate the adaptive suite of technologies into existing and next-generation combat aircraft,” he said.
Leahy has been a longtime supporter of GE Aviation. “Like all Vermonters, I am incredibly proud of the men and women at GE Rutland for their hard work and innovation that directly contributed to GE Aviation’s selection for this contract,” Leahy said. “I see and feel their enthusiasm, capabilities and commitment each time I visit them.”
Leahy is not mentioned in GE Aviation’s press release.
