GE Aerospace reported new progress in its development of hybrid electric aviation, with completion of successful demonstration of power transfer, extraction, and injection in a high-bypass commercial turbofan engine. The engine developer stated that its researchers had advanced their understanding of the hybrid electric engine’s system integration and controls.
Through its joint venture CFM International, GE is engaged in several efforts to promote electric aircraft engine technologies.
The hybrid electric engine architecture that GE Aerospace is developing incorporates electric motor/generators in a gas turbine engine to supplement power during different phases of operation. The design optimizes engine performance, so the aircraft can operate with or without energy storage like batteries
“Hybrid electric propulsion is central to how GE Aerospace is redefining the future of flight,” stated Arjan Hegeman, v.p. of future of flight. “Our latest milestone successfully demonstrated a narrow-body hybrid electric engine architecture that doesn’t require energy storage to operate.”
The ground tests of a modified GE Passport engine were completed in 2025 at a GE Aerospace test operations center in Ohio, in a partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The GE Passport is a smaller-scale version of the CFM International LEAP engine, which is the model used to power the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo series jets, the largest-selling commercial aircraft in the world.
According to GE, testing exceeded NASA’s technical performance benchmarks, based on industry input about engine capabilities that would provide meaningful fuel-cost savings for U.S. aviation, and also meet future aircrafts’ power requirements of future aircraft.
“It’s a critical step to making hybrid electric flight a reality for commercial aviation with technologies that meet customer needs for greater efficiency, durability, and range,” Hegeman added.
