2023 marked another dynamic year for aerospace. New challenges appeared, others stuck around and some thankfully faded.     What changes could 2024 bring? We spoke with five GE Aerospace experts on the trends they are watching next year and the impact those trends will have on the global aerospace system.  

The F-35 Lightning II, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can reach supersonic speeds and may be the world’s stealthiest fighter plane. For pilots, its advanced electronic systems are what really set it apart. Designed to replace most of the United States’ aging fighter fleet, the F-35 comes equipped with a constellation of sensors and avionics that assemble a remarkably detailed picture of conditions in and around the aircraft. GE Aerospace supplies eight of those systems, including electrical power management, aircraft memory, remote interface units for the fuselage and missiles, and engine-monitoring technology. This spring, GE Aerospace signed a four-year performance-based logistics (PBL) contract with Lockheed Martin to maintain and repair this equipment on F-35 aircraft around the world.

For our next installation of Quick Six, we sat down with Jami Tomczak, Lean Facilitator for supply chain at GE Aerospace's Grand Rapids, Michigan, location. She's been with GE Aerospace for four years and helps drive improvement by ensuring that people at her site are executing lean practices. She does this by fostering an environment of learning so everyone can develop creative solutions using lean. Jami is not only passionate about lean, she’s also an active member in the Pride Alliance employee resource group (ERG) at the Grand Rapids facility. She's an advocate and hopes to inspire others to live in their truth by showing up as her authentic self to work every day.

The mechanics work for GE Aerospace’s On Wing Support (OWS) team just outside Cincinnati, one of eight such facilities across the globe — from London to Dubai to Seoul to Shanghai — that provide maintenance and repair capabilities for customers. At the heart of what they do: attention to safety and quality of service with the capability for rapid deployment. Depending on the urgency and level of repair needed, some team members will work on engines in the shop (off-wing) while others are in the field, servicing engines still installed on aircraft (on-wing).

Meet Charlie Barker, Facilities Engineer and leader of the GE Aviation Rutland Energy Efficiency Program. Charlie’s sustainability initiatives have resulted in 115 energy conservation projects saving 16,053,903 kilo-watt hours in electrical and over 12,541 tons of greenhouse gas emissions for the Rutland aircraft airfoil manufacturing operation.

Martha Gardner loves data. Her world revolves around it.

Lean manufacturing meets brilliant technologies at GE Aviation's plant in Muskegon, MI. Rapid prototyping with 3D printing, advanced drilling techniques and real-time machine analytics are just a few ways these employees are able to tackle GE's record backlog of engines.