USAF awards contracts to two companies to develop CCA turbofans

The USAF has awarded contracts to two companies to develop next-generation jet engines for small Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). It has selected a joint venture by GE Aerospace and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc, who will receive a contract for US$12.4 million, and Honeywell Aerospace who will receive one of undisclosed value.

The USAF already has a Tranche 1 CCA program running with Anduril Industries and GA-ASI developing the YFQ-44A Fury and YFQ-42A Dark Merlin. The former is powered by a Williams FJ44 4,000lbst turbofan engine but GA-ASI hasn’t revealed which engine powers the latter. Nine companies were shortlisted in December last year for Tranche 2, with a prototyping deal to one or more of them due possibly this year.

In June last year, Kratos and GE Aerospace announced the signing of a formal teaming agreement to advance propulsion technologies for the next generation of affordable UASs and CCA-type aircraft. The GE Aerospace/Kratos joint venture will focus on the 1,500lbst GEK1500 engine to meet demanding performance requirements while achieving aggressive cost targets for affordable mass. It could power UASs, CCAs and missile, says the company.

The joint team will complete preliminary design of the GEK1500 engine to meet high performance and aggressive cost targets, leveraging the maturity of the existing GEK800 cruise missile engine to accelerate delivery.

“Building on the success of our GEK800 engine program, the development of the GEK1500 further demonstrates our team’s ability and commitment to deliver high-performance, affordable, jet engines that can be rapidly produced to meet the demands of our defence customers,” said Stacey Rock, President of Kratos Turbine Technologies Division.

Honeywell Aerospace will focus on its new small-thrust-class engine, the SkyShot 1600. This is designed for use in CCAs and its flexible architecture allows it to be adapted for various mission profiles in either a turbojet or turbofan configuration, making it a versatile solution for modern military operators, the company says.

The SkyShot 1600 supports thrust levels from 800 to 2,800 pounds and can be configured as either a turbojet or turbofan, with scalability for additional thrust as required. And the engine is designed to meet rigorous G-level performance requirements, enabling it to effectively reach manoeuvring targets.

Honeywell is employing design and manufacturing innovations to enable expedited output of the SkyShot 1600 and efficient, cost-effective production, the company continues. These innovative techniques will also help reduce production timelines and enhance supply chain resilience.