The Air Force Research Lab awarded General Electric Aviation and Pratt & Whitney large-sum contracts to mature their respective next-generation military propulsion designs under the Adaptive Engine Technology Development program. These transactions appeared in the Pentagon’s list of major contracts for Oct. 19. GE Aviation received a $349.7 million task order for work through September 2016, according to the contract listing. This task order falls under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract mechanism that AFRL announced with the company in September. AFRL issued Pratt & Whitney a $335 million task order for its adaptive engine work through mid October 2016, states the listing. Under AETD, the Air Force is sponsoring the development of variable-cycle engines that can operate efficiently over a range of operating scenarios—such as during a fast cruise or while loitering at slower speeds—and are not limited, like conventional powerplants, to running optimally in just one scenario. (See also General Electric Commences ADVENT Engine Testing.) (For more on AETD, read Adaptive Engines from Air Force Magazine’s September issue.)
Space Force Wants More Rapid, Flexible Launch
May 6, 2025
The Space Force launch enterprise is slashing the time it takes to get a payload into space. What began as a series of proof-of-concept experiments, beginning with Victus Nox—Latin for “conquer the night”—and a follow-on coming soon called Victus Haze, is evolving into a new way of doing business.