Innovation as a key differentiator

When I was growing up in Egypt, before I ever could have imagined working at GE Aerospace to power flight, my mother instilled in me the importance of education and continuous learning.

That spirit has fueled my career. Starting as a Ph.D. engineer at the GE Aerospace research center, I learned from leaders before me how to embrace challenges and leave things better than I found them. As I grew, the importance of our people and processes to solve problems became clear. I often say we can’t cohabitate with problems if we want to succeed.

In a similar way, a key differentiator over GE Aerospace’s more than 100-year history has been a continued investment in innovation. This creates an environment where engineers are determined to keep getting better, collaborate to solve problems, and be willing to disrupt. It’s led to a technology foundation underlying our engines today with advanced materials and manufacturing processes like composites and additive deployed across our product portfolio.

We didn’t stop there. Since certifying our newest commercial engines – GEnx, CFM LEAP, and GE9X – we’ve been investing with the mindset to keep improving with innovation.

During development of new high-pressure turbine hardware for the LEAP-1A engine, with the LEAP-1B to follow, teams created a proprietary dust mix to match conditions in the field. As a result, the HPT blade design helps improve durability to meet customers’ expectations for time on wing. Since the blade is also easier to make, it will also support our production ramp. Additionally, the deployment of our AI-enabled inspection technologies for GEnx and LEAP engines will help technicians better detect part conditions and recommend actions for safer operations.

Over the years, there have been many ups and downs in the aviation industry. Yet, GE Aerospace has time and again chosen to invest for the future of flight.

For example, after the 1970s energy crisis, we demonstrated the GE36 Unducted Fan intended to bring our customers major fuel savings. That led to the development of the first carbon fiber composite fan blade for the GE90 engine. GE Aerospace and CFM International, our partnership with Safran Aircraft Engines, remain the only jet engine manufacturers with composite fan blades in service with GE90, GEnx and CFM LEAP engines.

Last year, CFM International also celebrated the 50th anniversary of a joint venture that almost didn’t happen with an engine searching for an airplane application. The CFM56 became the industry’s most successful commercial engine program with more than 1 billion flight hours and the LEAP engine is well on its way to reach that level of success.?

Now we’ve reached another pivotal moment in our history. During the global health pandemic, we launched the CFM RISE program, one of the largest technology demonstrators in company history. Our goal is to achieve a more than 20% jump in fuel efficiency compared to engines today, something we’ve never accomplished in a single generation. Engineers and technologists across the business are advancing new architectures like Open Fan, a compact engine core, hybrid electric systems and more innovations that will impact flight for decades to come.

Our innovation focus spans the engine lifecycle from design to product introduction to servicing the engine once in operation. Companies with the right technologies and the right people win. The determination to never stop innovating makes it possible.