Kratos and GE Aerospace Complete Altitude Testing of GEK800 Engine

Powering the Future: Kratos and GE Aerospace Hit Key Milestone with GEK800 Engine

In the world of defense technology, progress is often measured in milestones. A recent announcement from Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and GE Aerospace marks one such critical achievement. The successful completion of altitude, durability, and limits testing for their GEK800 engine is more than just a technical validation; it represents a significant step forward in powering the next generation of unmanned Military-Aircraft. This development is pivotal as the U.S. military shifts its strategy towards a concept known as “affordable mass”, building a formidable fleet of effective, lower-cost unmanned systems to complement its traditional crewed fighters.

The GEK800 engine is specifically designed for this new era of air combat. It is poised to become the heart of advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), cruise missiles, and, most notably, the U.S. Air Force’s high-priority Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. These CCAs, often called “loyal wingmen,” are semi-autonomous Drones designed to fly alongside crewed jets, multiplying a mission’s capabilities without putting more pilots at risk. The success of this engine program is a direct enabler of this futuristic vision, promising a Propulsion system that meets the stringent performance and cost requirements necessary to build out a planned fleet of at least 1,000 CCAs.

This achievement is the fruit of a powerful strategic Partnerships, formally established in June 2025, that combines Kratos’s agile, rapid-development ethos with GE Aerospace’s century of propulsion expertise and high-rate production capability. The rigorous testing, conducted at Purdue University’s world-renowned Zucrow Laboratories, pushed the engine to its operational boundaries, proving its robustness and clearing a path toward mass production. This collaboration isn’t just building an engine; it’s forging a critical piece of the defense industrial base needed to maintain a technological edge in the years to come.

A Technical Triumph at a Premier Facility

The series of tests completed in late October 2025 were comprehensive and demanding. Conducted at Purdue University’s Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, the largest academic propulsion lab in the world, the GEK800 was subjected to a battery of trials designed to simulate real-world combat conditions. This included altitude testing to ensure performance in the thin air of high altitudes, durability trials to prove its reliability over time, and limits testing to intentionally push the engine to its breaking point. According to GE Aerospace, the joint team successfully identified the engine’s rotor speed limits and compressive system boundaries, validating its outstanding performance and durability.

The choice of venue was as significant as the tests themselves. The trials marked the inaugural use of the newly expanded ZL9 test facility at Zucrow Labs for an engine test of this nature. This state-of-the-art facility allowed the team to simulate the harsh environments the engine will one day operate in. The collaboration between Kratos, GE Aerospace, and the university’s experts was praised for its efficiency and technical excellence. Daniel Fineberg, the Kratos GEK800 Test Coordination Lead, noted that the joint team “successfully met nearly all test objectives while also validating the capability to conduct this style of testing within a newly commissioned facility.”

The GEK800 is an 800-pound-thrust class jet engine, a product of over a decade of initial development and ground testing by Kratos. The partnership with GE Aerospace, which began informally in 2023, has dramatically accelerated its progress, with over 50 engine starts completed during ground testing before this crucial altitude phase. The engine’s architecture is also designed for scalability, with plans for variants producing up to 3,000 pounds of thrust. A 1,500-pound-thrust version, the GEK1500, is already in development, demonstrating a clear roadmap for powering a wide range of future unmanned platforms.

“Successfully completing altitude testing marks a major milestone in the GEK800 engine program and demonstrates the strength of our partnership with GE Aerospace, AFRL, and Purdue University’s Zucrow Laboratories.” – Stacey Rock, President of Kratos Turbine Technologies.

Strategic Implications and the Dawn of “Affordable Mass”

The success of the GEK800 program extends far beyond the engineering lab. It is a cornerstone of the Pentagon’s evolving defense strategy, which emphasizes the concept of “affordable mass.” This doctrine calls for supplementing expensive, crewed fighter jets with large quantities of less expensive, “attritable” unmanned aircraft. These platforms are effective enough to be decisive in combat but affordable enough that their loss does not constitute a catastrophic strategic or financial blow. This approach aims to counter adversaries by leveraging numerical superiority and overwhelming their defenses.

The Kratos-GE Aerospace partnership is perfectly positioned to deliver on this vision. Kratos contributes over 25 years of experience in developing small, affordable engines, focusing on agile design and cost-effective solutions. GE Aerospace brings its unparalleled legacy in propulsion technology and, critically, the industrial might to scale advanced designs into high-rate production. This synergy bridges the notorious gap between a successful prototype and a mass-produced, field-ready product, a challenge that has often hindered defense innovation.

The primary application for the GEK800 is the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, a key component of the Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative. CCAs will act as force multipliers, controlled by pilots in nearby F-35s or future sixth-generation fighters. They can be tasked with missions like reconnaissance, electronic warfare, or carrying extra munitions, extending the reach and capability of the crewed fleet while keeping pilots safer. The viability of this entire concept hinges on the availability of reliable, affordable propulsion systems like the GEK800. The involvement of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) further underscores the program’s significance to national defense.

Conclusion: A New Chapter in Aerial Warfare

The successful altitude testing of the GEK800 engine is a landmark achievement for Kratos and GE Aerospace, but its true significance lies in what it enables. This milestone validates a critical piece of technology required to bring the U.S. military’s vision for next-generation air combat to life. By proving the engine’s performance and durability, the program moves from the realm of development into the tangible path toward production, promising to power the fleets of unmanned systems that will define the future battlespace.

Looking forward, the scalability of the GEK engine family and the robust industrial partnership behind it suggest a sustained impact on the defense landscape. As the GEK800 moves closer to deployment, it will fuel the strategic shift towards “affordable mass,” fundamentally changing the calculus of air warfare. This engine is more than just a piece of hardware; it is an enabler of a new doctrine, a new generation of aircraft, and a new era of national security capability.

FAQ

Question: What is the GEK800 engine?
Answer: The GEK800 is an 800-pound-thrust class jet engine developed by Kratos and GE Aerospace. It is designed to power next-generation unmanned systems, including cruise missiles and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs).

Question: What is the significance of the successful altitude testing?
Answer: Completing altitude testing is a major technical milestone that validates the engine’s performance, durability, and design under simulated real-world conditions. It moves the engine significantly closer to being ready for mass production and deployment in military aircraft.

Question: What is the “Collaborative Combat Aircraft” (CCA) program?
Answer: The CCA program is a U.S. Air Force initiative to develop semi-autonomous, unmanned aircraft, or “loyal wingmen,” that will fly alongside crewed fighter jets. These UAV will act as force multipliers, performing tasks like surveillance, electronic warfare, and carrying additional weapons to enhance the capabilities of the overall force.

Sources

• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.