Rotating Detonation Ramjet Testing – GE Aerospace
- GE Aerospace has successfully demonstrated two rotating detonation combustion (RDC) engines: a missile-scale ramjet and a dual-mode ramjet designed for high-speed aircraft.
- According to a GE Aerospace proclamation on September 22, 2024, these demonstrations achieved a threefold increase in engine airflow compared to previously tested hypersonic demonstrators.
- "We've proven that GE Aerospace's rotating detonation combustion designs are scalable," stated Mark Rettig, Vice President and General Manager of Edison Works Buisness & Technology development at GE...
GE aerospace Advances Hypersonic Propulsion wiht Rotating detonation Combustion
Table of Contents
Breakthrough Engine demonstrations
GE Aerospace has successfully demonstrated two rotating detonation combustion (RDC) engines: a missile-scale ramjet and a dual-mode ramjet designed for high-speed aircraft. The tests, conducted at the company’s Aerospace Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, represent a significant step forward in hypersonic propulsion technology.
According to a GE Aerospace proclamation on September 22, 2024, these demonstrations achieved a threefold increase in engine airflow compared to previously tested hypersonic demonstrators.
Scalability and Rapid Development
“We’ve proven that GE Aerospace’s rotating detonation combustion designs are scalable,” stated Mark Rettig, Vice President and General Manager of Edison Works Buisness & Technology development at GE Aerospace. This scalability is a key factor in developing practical hypersonic systems.
The company highlighted the speed of development, advancing from a legacy ramjet to a three-times-scale demonstrator with RDC in just 10 months. Rettig emphasized this rapid progress demonstrates the maturity of the technology and the strength of GE Aerospace’s roadmap for integrated high-speed propulsion solutions.
Collaboration and Recent Trials
testing began in July 2024 and was enabled by collaboration between GE Aerospace engineers, the GE Aerospace Research Center, and GE Aerospace Innoveering-a hypersonic propulsion specialist acquired in 2022. These tests followed earlier 2024 trials of a hypersonic dual-mode ramjet, which was developed within approximately 11 months.
Craig Young, executive Director for GE Edison Works, identified the dual-mode ramjet as the GE26 last month. This propulsion system is one of two GE Aerospace plans to offer to power the defense advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Next-Generation Responsive Strike demonstrator.