F-35
EVENDALE, Ohio—GE Aerospace has named its proposed engine for the Next-Generation Air Dominance program—the second in a new series of adaptive turbofan engines in development for fighter aircraft—the XA102.
The XA102 is the designation for GE’s proposed propulsion system for the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation, crewed fighter aircraft, and follows the XA100 adaptive turbofan in development as a candidate to re-engine the Lockheed Martin F-35A.
The new designation indicates the NGAD engine will be a fundamentally different engine than GE’s 45,000.-lb.-thrust XA100, but both systems will share technologies.
“NGAD is not going to be a start-from-scratch, brand-new engine,” said David Tweedie, GE’s general manager for advanced products, speaking to reporters during a factory tour here on May 2.
But Tweedie says there will be differences in the size and performance of the NGAD application.
The Air Force has funded plans for a competitive selection of the NGAD adaptive engine, with Pratt & Whitney’s follow-on to the XA101 adaptive fan for the F-35 as an alternative.
