GE Successfully Concluded Phase I Testing on XA100 Adaptive Engine, Clears Coast for Phase II

18 December 2021:  GE successfully concluded the phase 1 testing on its second XA100 adaptive cycle engine paving the way for phase 2 testing. The testing took place at GE’s Evendale, Ohio, altitude test facility and enabled GE to continue gathering high-quality performance data validating the engine’s transformational propulsion capability. The testing was a part of US Air Force’s Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP).
The second phase of testing will begin at US Air Force’s advanced testing facility at Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) in the first quarter of 2022.
David Tweedie, GE Edison Works’ general manager for Advanced Combat Engines said, “Phase 1 testing allowed us to further characterize the operation of the engine and puts us in a great position to begin Phase 2 testing at AEDC. We continue to burn down risk with full-scale engine testing, which is why the XA100 is the lowest risk, most capable, and fastest approach to keep the F-35 a preeminent fighter platform for the long term.”

The XA100-GE-100 engine has an adaptive engine cycle that provides both a high-thrust mode for maximum power and a high-efficiency mode for optimum fuel savings and loiter time, a third-stream architecture that provides a step-change in thermal management capability, enabling future mission systems for increased combat effectiveness and an extensive use of advanced component technologies, including ceramic matrix composites (CMC), polymer matrix composites (PMC), and additive manufacturing. These key innovationsare designed to deliver a generational change combat propulsion performance.
Tweedie further added, “Between the step-change fuel efficiency improvement and enhanced durability of our advanced materials, this engine provides the maximum opportunity to increase readiness and reduce operational and lifecycle costs. No upgrade of a legacy propulsion system can simultaneously provide the revolutionary improvements in fuel efficiency, thrust, power and thermal management, and durability as the XA100 engine.”
Besides this innovation increase the thrust by 10 percent, improve fuel efficiency by 25 per cent and provide significantly more aircraft heat dissipation capacity, all within the same physical envelope as current propulsion systems. The XA100’s improved fuel efficiency provides significant reduction in carbon emissions. The engine will also operate on any US Air Force-approved biofuels.
GE’s XA100 became the world’s first ever flight-weight, three-stream adaptive cycle engine in December 2020 before initiating tests on its second engine in August 2021. GE’s engine is uniquely designed to fit both the F-35A and F-35C without any structural modifications to either airframe, enabling better aircraft range, acceleration, and cooling power to accommodate next-generation mission systems.
The XA100 is a product of GE Edison Works, a business unit dedicated to the research, development, and production of advanced military solutions. This business unit has full responsibility for strategy, innovation, and execution of advanced programs.

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