Upgrades Will Allow Testing of Bigger, Badder Systems in Race for Hypersonic Supremacy

GE Aerospace will spend a good chunk of money on its testing infrastructure at 3 locations, beefing up their ability to "conduct higher-mach, mission-relevant testing at a scale not previously possible."

Hypersonics are en vogue around the world, for obvious performance reasons, and GE's successful testing of their dual-mode ramjet made enough waves to convince the accountants that additional investments will be worth it. That ramjet program famously went from the drawing board to live testing in less than a year, and was just as quickly followed up with the test of a liquid-fueled ramjet. Now, GE is finding itself limited by some of its testing equipment, keeping them from building bigger, faster designs to testbench. The first locale to get an upgrade is Evendale, Ohio, where GE will upgrade a facility to "provide dedicated test support for larger hypersonic propulsion systems than previously possible." The upgrades will allow for testing at higher Mach numbers than previously possible, while enabling more faithful simulation of real-world flight conditions.

The second is Bohemia, New York, where GE will improve its bank of test cells. This 'upgrade' further builds on the 2022 acquisition of Innoveering, a company specializing in hypersonic propulsion technologies. Finally, GE will improve facilities at Niskayuna, New York, where its Research Center will be beefed up to support larger propulsion systems with an eye toward a future hypersonic testing there.

“This investment significantly accelerates GE Aerospace’s ability to meet future hypersonic propulsion needs," said Mark Rettig, vice president & general manager of Edison Works Advanced Programs at GE Aerospace. "By enhancing our infrastructure, we’re not only enabling more representative and scalable testing but also demonstrating our ability to deliver advanced technologies faster and more efficiently, ensuring our customers have the cutting-edge solutions they need when they need them.”

FMI: www.geaerospace.com