GE Aerospace has completed ground testing of a hybrid electric turbofan demonstrator for narrowbody aircraft, marking a step forward in efforts to integrate electric power systems into large commercial engines.
Testing was carried out in late 2025 at the company’s Peebles facility in Ohio under NASA’s Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration project. The programme demonstrated both power extraction from and power injection into a high-bypass turbofan, validating interaction between the gas turbine and embedded electric motor-generator systems.
The architecture embeds electric machines directly within the engine to supplement mechanical power during different phases of flight and can operate with or without energy storage such as batteries. GE Aerospace said the tests focused on full-system integration and controls rather than standalone components and exceeded technical benchmarks set by NASA based on industry-defined performance targets.
The work feeds into the CFM International RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) programme, a joint initiative between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines targeting more than 20% improvement in fuel burn compared with current-generation engines. RISE encompasses multiple propulsion pathways, including open fan designs, compact core architectures and hybrid electric systems, with ground and flight testing planned later this decade.
Hybrid electric propulsion is viewed as a transitional technology between conventional turbofans and zero-emission concepts, offering the potential for incremental efficiency gains without reliance on large battery systems. The focus on narrowbody-class engines is significant given the single-aisle segment’s dominant share of global aircraft deliveries and fuel consumption.
GE Aerospace has previously conducted hybrid electric propulsion tests at megawatt scale and at simulated cruise altitudes. The latest milestone shifts that work toward commercially relevant turbofan architectures, positioning hybridisation as a potential contributor to future single-aisle engine designs expected to emerge in the 2030s.