GE Aerospace achieves major hybrid electric aviation test milestone with turbofan engine demonstration
CINCINNATI. GE Aerospace has reached a significant milestone in the development of hybrid electric aviation technologies, successfully demonstrating power transfer, extraction and injection in a high-bypass commercial turbofan engine.
The achievement follows ground testing of a modified Passport engine conducted in 2025 at the Peebles Test Operation under NASA’s Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration project, the company announced on January 26. The tests advanced system-level understanding of hybrid electric propulsion by validating engine integration and control capabilities, moving beyond evaluations of individual components.
GE Aerospace is developing a hybrid electric architecture for narrowbody aircraft that integrates electric motor-generators within a gas turbine engine. This approach is designed to supplement power during various phases of flight, optimise overall performance and operate either independently or in conjunction with energy storage systems such as batteries.
“Hybrid electric propulsion is at the heart of how GE Aerospace is shaping the future of flight,” said Arjan Hegeman, Vice President, Future of Flight, GE Aerospace. “This milestone demonstrates a narrowbody hybrid electric engine architecture that can operate without energy storage, marking an important step toward making hybrid electric commercial aviation viable with improvements in efficiency, durability and range.”
The testing programme exceeded NASA’s established technical performance targets, which were defined using industry input to identify engine capabilities that could deliver meaningful fuel cost savings while meeting the power demands of next-generation aircraft.
The Power Extraction Demonstration forms part of GE Aerospace’s broader efforts under the CFM International RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) programme to advance technologies for more electric aircraft engines. Launched in 2021, the RISE programme is among the aviation industry’s most extensive technology demonstrators, with more than 350 tests and over 3,000 endurance cycles completed so far. These include evaluations of advanced concepts such as Open Fan architectures, compact cores and hybrid electric systems.
The RISE programme places strong emphasis on safety, durability and efficiency, with a target of achieving more than 20 percent improvement in fuel burn compared to today’s in-service commercial engines. Technologies under the programme are progressing toward ground and flight testing later this decade, alongside ongoing work on aircraft and engine integration with industry partners.
GE Aerospace has built substantial experience in hybrid electric propulsion over the past decade. Key milestones include a ground test of an electric motor-driven propeller in 2016 and the world’s first megawatt-class, multi-kilovolt hybrid electric propulsion system test in simulated altitude conditions up to 45,000 feet in 2022, representative of single-aisle commercial flight.
In 2025, the company also announced a strategic partnership and equity investment with BETA Technologies to develop a hybrid electric turbogenerator for Advanced Air Mobility applications, further strengthening its hybrid electric aviation portfolio.
