GE Aviation bags contract to improve fighter jet engines

The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded a cost-sharing contract worth more than $231.2 million to GE Aviation to develop engine components that will help improve propulsion for its fighter aircraft. GE will contribute to work on USAF's Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology (ADVENT) programme, according to a news release from the US Department of Defence.

The contract is to develop technologies that help improve thrust and fuel efficiency, as well as provide cost savings for development, production and maintenance. The contract work will be administered by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's Air Force Research Laboratory, and is to be completed by September 2012, says the release.

GE Aviation, based in Evendale, develops and manufactures jet engines for commercial and military aircraft. It is a unit of the Fairfield, Connecticut, based General Electric.