General Electric [GE] and RTX‘s [RTX] Pratt & Whitney have reported progress in their Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) efforts for the U.S. Air Force’s manned Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter.
GE said that on Wednesday that it had finished Detailed Design Review (DDR) of its X102 adaptive cycle engine–what the company called “the first engine in GE Aerospace’s history to be developed using model-based systems engineering, representing a transformative shift in how advanced propulsion systems are designed and tested.”
“The design review was presented to the U.S. Air Force, showcasing the comprehensive digital engine model and validating its readiness for the next phase of development,” GE said.
The Evendale, Ohio-based GE Aerospace is now to test a full-scale X102 demonstrator engine.
“Adaptive cycle engines are critical to ensure U.S. combat aircraft maintain their superiority by providing greater range and significantly more thermal management capability compared to today’s most advanced combat engine,” the company said.
A day after the GE Aerospace X102 announcement, East Hartford, Conn.-based Pratt & Whitney said that its XA103 NGAP offering had also finished DDR for the Air Force.
“Pratt & Whitney presented directly from its collaborative digital environment, providing reviewers with immediate access to all the data and material to satisfy the stringent criteria,” Pratt & Whitney said. “Passing this fully digital evaluation allows the team to begin procuring hardware for the construction of its XA103 prototype ground demonstrator, which is expected to test in the late 2020s.”
The XA103 “has an adaptive architecture, enabling its components to actively adjust for optimized fuel efficiency, survivability, and power and thermal management, surpassing the capabilities of fourth- and fifth-generation engines,” Pratt & Whitney said. “This step change in engine capability will help ensure the U.S. Air Force maintains air superiority and deters pacing challenges.”
Last month, the Air Force awarded GE and Pratt & Whitney contracts worth up to
$3.5 billion each for NGAP technology maturation and risk reduction (Defense Daily, Jan. 28).
“The work includes design, analysis, rig testing, prototype engine build and testing, and weapon system integration,” the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) said at the time.
“The contract modification is for the execution of the prototype phase of the [NGAP] program and is focused on delivering a state-of-the-art propulsion system with a flexible architecture that can be tailored for future combat aircraft operating across various mission threads; and digitally transforming the propulsion industrial base,” AFLCMC said.
NGAP engine prototyping with GE and Pratt & Whitney is a change from the previous strategy, which envisioned just one engine provider in the prototyping phase. That change came because of increased NGAP funding, the Air Force has said.
Top Trump adviser Elon Musk has questioned the value of manned fighters, and manned NGAD does not appear on a list of 17 areas that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said are safe from the eight percent in annual DoD cuts he envisions in the next few years.