GE cf34 engine

GE Aviation

The largest of General Electric’s eight subsidiaries, GE Aviation makes engines, systems, and other components for business and general aviation aircraft.

What It Is: The largest of General Electric’s eight subsidiaries, GE Aviation makes engines for business and general aviation, as well as commercial and military platforms, and produces aircraft systems and components.

How It Grew: General Electric, which was established in 1892, won a U.S. military contract for turbosuperchargers in 1917, creating what became GE Aviation. That subsidiary supplied the power boosters that most piston military engines used thereafter. In 1941 the U.S. Army Air Force chose GE to develop the first American jet engine (the 1-A), based on the U.K.’s W.1, and by the end of the 1950s GE had delivered tens of thousands of 1-A–derived military engines.

In the 1960s GE developed the CF700, a civilian derivative of the military TF37 (Dassault Falcon 20), and the CJ610 (Learjet 20series). In 1974 GE formed CFM International with France’s Snecma for commercial turbofan development, later collaborating on business engine programs with Garrett AiResearch (CFE CFE738, cert. 1993/Dassault Falcon 2000); and Honda (GE Honda HF120, cert. 2015/HondaJet) among others.

In 1983 GE’s own CF34 family entered service, powering Bombardier Challengers. In the new century, General Electric Aircraft Engines was rebranded GE Aviation (2005), and it entered the turboprop business with its purchase of Czech turboprop manufacturer Walter Engines. In this decade GE’s Passport turbofan was tapped to power Bombardier’s Global 7500 (2010); the Catalyst turboprop for Textron Aviation’s in-development Denali (2015); and its Affinity turbofan for Aerion’s in-development AS2 supersonic business jet (2018).

What It Offers:

Turbofan engines. Business jet engine families include the CF34 (Bombardier Challenger 850, 600 series), GE Passport (Bombardier Global 7500), HF120 (HondaJet), CFE CFE738 (Dassault Falcon 2000), and CFM56 (Boeing Business Jets, ACJ320 family).

Turboprop and turboshaft engines. GE CT7 family (Sikorsky S-92, AgustaWestland AW189), H-series turboprops (Thrush, Nextant G90XT), and forthcoming Catalyst turboprop.

Business and general aviation systems. Avionics computing systems, controls and interfaces, navigation and guidance, and vehicle health and data management.

Structures. Landing gear, nacelles, fuel tanks, boost pumps, and additive manufactured parts for business and general aviation aircraft.

Recent news: In March the FAA certified GE’s CT7-23F1, which will power Bell’s forthcoming flagship 525R Relentless helicopter.

FAST FACTS:

Founded: 1917

HQ: Evendale, Ohio

Revenue: $30.6 billion (2018)  

Employees: 48,000 

CEO: David Joyce

Website: geaviation.com

THANK YOU TO OUR BJTONLINE SPONSORS