GE Aerospace has unveiled its new GE426 turbofan as a contender in the emerging propulsion market for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, according to a company press release, with some financial backing from the Air Force to refine the engine moving forward.

The GE426 will be able to produce between 4,000 and 9,000 pounds of thrust, spanning the Air Force’s requirements for a potential future medium to large-thrust-class engine to fit into upcoming CCA increments.

The Air Force awarded GE a contract to build a GE426 prototype to complete a preliminary design review of the new turbofan and “further refine system capability, producibility and cost while ensuring alignment with Air Force requirements for the medium-thrust-class [autonomous collaborative platform] fleet,” according to the news release.

Last August, the company said it completed a concept design review, validating the engine’s architecture and advancing its design.

GE is separately involved in another effort to develop a small-thrust-class engine for the second CCA increment, the service told Inside Defense in February. Those engines, the GEK1500 and GEK800, are being developed in partnership with Kratos Defense & Security solutions and fall between 800-1,500 pounds of thrust.

“Together, these programs reinforce GE Aerospace’s commitment to delivering affordable, adaptable, high-performance propulsion solutions that align with the Air Force’s evolving operational concepts,” the company wrote in its news release.

GE did not disclose the total value of the new GE426 contract.

The Air Force has said it wants to use these kinds of engine development contracts to fill gaps in a propulsion market which does not already have solutions available off the shelf. The service is pursuing low-cost and highly producible propulsion designs across different power classes and ranges, a service spokesperson said in February.

Other firms part of the small-thrust-class engine competition for CCA increment two include Beehive Industries, Honeywell International and Pratt & Whitney.

“The Air Force is engaging a wide range of industry partners to foster a competitive and innovative industrial base for CCA propulsion,” the service spokesperson said. “This multivendor approach ensures the Air Force has a variety of options to power the diverse and evolving fleet of ACP and CCA Increments.”