GE Aerospace has completed preliminary design studies for a hypersonic dual-mode ramjet using a custom generative AI application, demonstrating a major compression of early engine design timelines. The company reported that the in-house tool, developed at its research center in Niskayuna, New York, generated hundreds of candidate design layouts in seconds, each meeting predefined performance requirements and multiple flight conditions.
The effort was led by Joe Vinciquerra, General Manager and Senior Executive Director at GE Aerospace Research. He said the aim was to speed up the slowest phase of propulsion development: the iterative loop between customer requirements and a workable preliminary configuration. According to GE Aerospace, work that previously took weeks or months can now be carried out in a single session using the AI-driven app.
The hypersonic concept draws on the company’s ongoing research into dual-mode ramjet technology and rotating detonation combustion, which targets efficient propulsion at speeds above Mach 5 for military and potential future commercial applications. GE Aerospace indicated that the same generative AI approach is being applied to its CFM International RISE open-fan technology program, but did not disclose technical specifics of the ramjet layouts or commit to moving any of the AI-generated designs into hardware development.