Full-scale prototype engine testing in the AETP program is the capstone of a multi-year technology maturation and risk reduction effort to bring an adaptive cycle engine to full maturity in close partnership with the U.S. Air Force. GE’s first XA100 engine tests began in December 2020, marking the world’s first ever run of a flight-weight three-stream adaptive cycle engine. Tests successfully validated the engine’s ability to deliver transformational propulsion capability to current and future fighter aircraft. Engine prototypes assembled as part of AETP are designed to fit and integrate directly into the F-35.

GE Aviation's history working with the Air Force dates back to the dawn of the jet age, when the U.S. military branch was established on Sept. 18, 1947.

GE Aviation has opened a $13 million Vehicle Energy Systems Integration Lab (VESIL), at its Evendale, Ohio facility, to improve thermal management capabilities for advanced combat aircraft applications.