GE Aerospace has secured a new U.S. Air Force contract to continue development of its GE426 engine, a propulsion system designed for autonomous combat aircraft that could fly alongside crewed fighter jets in future military operations.

The award, announced on May 19, moves the GE426 program into the preliminary design review stage as part of the Air Force’s medium-thrust-class Autonomous Collaborative Platform initiative. The company said the engine is being developed to meet military standards for performance, cost, and scalable production.

This contract follows GE Aerospace’s successful completion of the engine’s concept design review in August 2025. That milestone showed the engine’s design was workable and allowed the project to move forward.

The Air Force is working on autonomous aircraft to support piloted fighters during combat missions, intelligence gathering, surveillance, and electronic warfare. These systems are expected to become more important in future air combat.

Engine aimed at medium-thrust combat aircraft

GE Aerospace described the GE426 as a next-generation propulsion system made for medium-thrust autonomous missions. The engine is meant for uncrewed aircraft that will work together with other airborne systems.

With this new contract, the company will continue to improve the prototype engine’s performance, manufacturing process, and costs as it moves through the Air Force’s preliminary design review. The company has not shared the contract’s value or the exact thrust rating of the GE426 engine.

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Autonomous Collaborative Platforms program focuses on developing systems that can operate alongside piloted aircraft. This is part of the military’s broader investment in collaborative combat aircraft and future uncrewed technologies. Defense planners believe that autonomous aircraft could help extend mission reach while reducing pilots’ risk in contested airspace.

GE expands military propulsion portfolio

GE Aerospace said the new contract builds on its experience in rapidly designing and testing small military engines for Air Force projects. The company has already worked with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, a California defense contractor specializing in autonomous military technology, to develop the GEK800 and GEK1500 propulsion systems.

“We’ve proven we can rapidly move from concept to engine demonstration with the GEK800, and our focus now is on applying that process to the GE426 to ensure it provides the performance, affordability, and readiness the warfighter needs,” said Steve “Doogie” Russell, Vice President and General Manager of Edison Works at GE Aerospace.

GE said the GE426 is part of a larger effort to make affordable propulsion systems that can be produced in large numbers for future autonomous aircraft fleets. The company also added that its expanding range of compact engines is meant to support collaborative combat aircraft and other defense projects now in development.

Separate Air Force deal supports GEK1500 engine

GE Aerospace and Kratos also received a separate $12.4 million Air Force contract in February 2026 for the GEK1500 engine program. This project covers the early design phase of a 1,500-pound-thrust engine for a smaller Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The GEK1500 program is seen as another key part of the Air Force’s plan to develop different types of autonomous aircraft for various missions.

The firm said it is using advanced manufacturing, digital engineering tools, and over 100 years of propulsion experience to speed up the development of new military engines. The company believes that producing engines at scale will become increasingly important as the Pentagon invests more in autonomous combat systems for future battlefields.