Seven decades later, the Air Force is working with GE Aviation on the ultimate flying machine, and this time the partners are willing to talk about it. The “adaptive cycle” engine, as they call it, can automatically switch between the raw power of a fighter jet and slower, but more efficient flight desired by civilian airlines.
By marrying this adaptive architecture with a high-performance, heat-resistant core, this engine could achieve 10 percent higher thrust, 25 percent better fuel consumption, and 30 percent longer range, compared to the world’s most advanced military jet engines operating around the world today.