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GE Aerospace has conducted its first ground test of a commercial hybrid-electric engine demonstrator as part of its work to develop new reduced-emissions powertrains for future narrowbody airliners. On January 26, the company announced that the NASA-backed work had successfully demonstrated power transfer, extraction, and injection in a high-bypass turbofan.

The ground testing using a modified Passport business jet engine was completed in 2025 at GE’s facility in Peebles, Ohio. As part of  project, the test has provided a more advanced understanding of the hybrid-electric system’s integration and controls than could be ascertained from the standalone components.

The narrowbody hybrid-electric architecture that GE is developing embeds electric motors and generators in a gas turbine engine to provide supplementary power during different phases of flight. The technology can be used with or without batteries to store energy, depending on the application.

NASA reported that test results had exceeded its benchmarks. These were based on input from the air transport industry about the level of engine performance needed to deliver meaningful fuel cost savings and support development of new-generation single-aisle airliners.

For GE, the power extraction aspect of the work is part of the group’s efforts to mature technologies for more electric engines through the joint RISE program it is advancing with its partner Safran in the CFM International joint venture. GE has been working on hybrid-electric propulsion technology since at least 2016, and last year invested in to support joint work on a hybrid-electric turbogenerator for advanced air mobility applications.