GE Aerospace Successfully Demonstrates Narrowbody Hybrid‑Electric Engine System in Ground Test

GE Aerospace has completed a major hybrid‑electric propulsion milestone, successfully demonstrating power transfer, extraction, and injection on a high‑bypass commercial turbofan engine, a step the company says brings hybrid‑electric flight closer to commercial reality.

The achievement was announced following 2025 ground tests of a modified Passport engine at GE’s Peebles Test Operation in Ohio. The work was conducted under NASA’s Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration project, which aims to advance industry understanding of how hybrid‑electric systems integrate with large commercial engines.

According to GE Aerospace, the test campaign moved beyond evaluating individual components and instead focused on full‑system behavior, including controls, thermal management, and the interaction between electric machines and the gas turbine core.

Advancing a Narrowbody Hybrid‑Electric Architecture

The company is developing a hybrid‑electric architecture for future narrowbody aircraft that embeds electric motor‑generators directly within the engine. These machines can add or remove power during different phases of flight, improving efficiency and enabling new operating modes.

A key feature of GE’s design is its ability to function with or without onboard energy storage, such as batteries; a flexibility that could ease integration into future aircraft platforms.

“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.”

NASA reported that the test campaign exceeded its technical performance benchmarks, which were based on industry input regarding fuel‑burn improvements and power requirements for next‑generation aircraft.

Part of the Broader RISE Technology Effort

The demonstration forms one element of GE Aerospace’s broader work under the CFM International RISE program; a joint GE–Safran technology initiative launched in 2021 to develop propulsion concepts targeting more than 20% better fuel burn than today’s engines.

The RISE program has become one of the industry’s most extensive technology demonstrators, with over 350 tests and more than 3,000 endurance cycles completed to date. Its portfolio includes Open Fan architectures, compact engine cores, and hybrid‑electric systems, all with a focus on safety, durability, and efficiency.

Technologies from the program are progressing toward ground and flight tests later this decade, with ongoing work on aircraft‑engine integration alongside industry partners.

A Decade of Hybrid‑Electric Development

GE Aerospace has been steadily building hybrid‑electric expertise for more than ten years.

Key milestones include:

• 2016: Ground test of an electric motor‑driven propeller

• 2022: World’s first test of a megawatt‑class, multi‑kilovolt hybrid‑electric propulsion system at simulated altitudes up to 45,000 feet

• 2025: Strategic partnership and equity investment in BETA Technologies to develop a hybrid‑electric turbogenerator for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) applications

The company says these efforts collectively support its long‑term goal of enabling lower‑emission, higher‑efficiency propulsion systems for both emerging and traditional aviation markets.