CINCINNATI. GE Aerospace announced February 3 a new test milestone for hybrid electric aviation, successfully demonstrating power transfer, extraction, and injection in a high-bypass commercial turbofan engine.
Ground testing of a modified Passport engine was completed in 2025 at Peebles Test Operation as part of NASA’s Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration project. Technical teams advanced understanding of the hybrid electric engine’s system integration and controls, beyond just standalone components.
GE Aerospace is developing a narrowbody hybrid electric architecture that embeds electric motor/generators in a gas turbine engine to supplement power during different phases of operation. The design optimises performance and creates a system that can work with or without energy storage like batteries.
“Hybrid electric propulsion is central to how GE Aerospace is redefining the future of flight,” said Arjan Hegeman, vice president of future of flight for GE Aerospace. “Our latest milestone successfully demonstrated a narrowbody hybrid electric engine architecture that doesn’t require energy storage to operate. 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.”
Testing exceeded NASA’s technical performance benchmarks. NASA based these measures on industry input about engine capabilities that would provide meaningful fuel cost savings for US aviation while also meeting the power requirements of future aircraft.
RISE Programme Testing
The Power Extraction Demonstration is one of several efforts GE Aerospace has underway to mature technologies for more electric aircraft engines through the CFM International RISE* programme.
Unveiled in 2021, the RISE programme is one of the aviation industry’s most comprehensive technology demonstrators with more than 350 tests and more than 3,000 endurance cycles completed to date, including tests on advanced engine architectures like Open Fan, compact core and hybrid electric systems. The RISE program prioritises safety, durability and efficiency, targeting more than 20% better fuel burn compared to commercial engines in service today.
CFM RISE programme technologies are maturing toward ground and flight tests this decade with work underway on aircraft and engine integration in collaboration with partners.
Hybrid Electric Experience
GE Aerospace has achieved multiple hybrid electric milestones over the last decade, including a 2016 ground test of an electric motor-driven propeller. In 2022, GE Aerospace completed the world’s first test of a megawatt-class and multi-kilovolt (kV) hybrid electric propulsion system in altitude conditions up to 45,000 feet that simulate single-aisle commercial flight.
A new strategic partnership and equity investment announced in 2025 with BETA technologies plans to develop a hybrid electric turbogenerator for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) applications.
* Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) is a technology demonstration programme of CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines. It is not a product offered for commercial sale.
