GE Aerospace has received a new U.S. Air Force contract to advance development of its GE426 engine, a next-generation propulsion system intended for autonomous, uncrewed combat aircraft in the medium-thrust class. The award falls under the service’s Autonomous Collaborative Platform, or ACP, program, which is focused on future fleets of collaborative, uncrewed combat aircraft.
According to the company and associated disclosures, the GE426 is being designed for medium-thrust ACP missions with an emphasis on performance, affordability and manufacturability. The latest contract will carry the prototype through its preliminary design review, following completion of the concept design review in August 2025, which validated the engine’s overall architecture and advanced the design process.
Under the new phase of work, GE Aerospace is tasked with improving engine capability, production readiness and cost efficiency while aligning the GE426 with U.S. Air Force requirements for medium-thrust-class ACP platforms. The engine is aimed at enabling larger, longer-range and more capable autonomous aircraft than smaller attritable drones, supporting future uncrewed combat and collaborative operations.