FutureFlight
NASA Invests in Further R&D For More Efficient Airliner Engines
GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney will both work on new engine cores for single-aisle airliners under NASA’s Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core project.
NASA HyTEC
NASA's proposed HyTEC turbofan concept incorporates an advanced high-pressure compressor designed with smaller parts and tighter clearances. (Image: Pratt & Whitney)

NASA has awarded GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney six new contracts for research and development of advanced engine cores for single-aisle airliners, the U.S. aeronautics agency said Wednesday. Worth a total of $18.8 million, the contracts concern NASA’s Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project, plans for which call for ground testing a new compact engine core by the mid-2020s.

The contracts involve four primary areas of study