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Beehive Industries, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and a teamup of GE Aerospace and Kratos will “mature engine designs” for future drone wingmen and other autonomous platforms, according to the Air Force.
The announcement marks the first official partnership for GE on a drone wingman platform.
In the near term, the “Merlin Pilot” could replace one of the two crew currently required to fly the KC-135 tanker and C-130J transport — but the ultimate aim is for the AI to fly complex missions on its own.
The Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program is designing new engines that could power aircraft like the Air Force’s forthcoming F-47 stealth fighter.
“Especially from an X2 standpoint, the largest procurement out there is really NGRC. And that recapitalization of the helicopter fleet in Europe is the largest thing we see today at least in the next five or 10 years,” said Sikorsky boss Rich Benton.
GE executive Mark Rettig said the company’s recent foray into hypersonic technology has opened a new range of opportunities for the engine maker.
The duo’s new GEK1500 engine is set to offer 1,500 pounds of thrust and is expected to be demonstrated next year.
[Sponsored] MOSA and the digital backbone give the Army a vendor-agnostic path to make aircraft system modifications from the outset of Future Vertical Lift.
Boeing’s selection to produce the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter is a game-changer for the company’s challenged defense arm.
The two companies are facing off under the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program, which is developing a powerplant for an Air Force next-generation fighter — assuming one comes to pass.