Overview
- GE Aerospace received a U.S. Air Force contract to take the GE426 prototype through preliminary design review, a development step announced on May 19 that follows an August 2025 concept design review.
- Under the PDR award GE will mature the engine’s capability, manufacturability and unit cost against Air Force requirements, though GE did not disclose the contract value or the GE426’s specific thrust rating.
- The GE426 is a purpose‑built medium‑thrust turbofan intended for the Air Force’s Autonomous Collaborative Platform family of uncrewed combat aircraft that will operate alongside crewed fighters.
- The Air Force is funding multiple engine teams to cover different thrust classes — including Beehive, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and a GE/Kratos team — to ensure supplier diversity for a planned, high-volume CCA fleet.
- GE is applying lessons from its GEK800 and GEK1500 programs and advanced manufacturing tools to speed development and lower per‑unit cost, a focus driven by the service’s intent to buy large numbers of drones and keep production scalable.