September 2025 – GE Aerospace and US-based aircraft manufacturer BETA Technologies (BETA) have entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of hybrid electric aviation. Under the agreement, GE Aerospace intends to invest $300 million in BETA, pending regulatory approval, and will gain the right to appoint a director to BETA’s board.
The collaboration will focus on the creation of a hybrid electric turbogenerator designed for advanced air mobility (AAM) applications. These include long-range vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft as well as future BETA models. The system is intended to provide improved range, payload and speed performance while leveraging existing infrastructure such as GE Aerospace’s CT7 and T700 engines.
GE Aerospace chairman and CEO Lawrence Culp Jr. said:
“Partnering with BETA will expand and accelerate hybrid electric technology development, meeting our customers’ needs for differentiated capabilities that provide more range, payload, and optimised engine and aircraft performance.”
The partnership will combine BETA’s expertise in high-performance permanent magnet electric generators with GE Aerospace’s strengths in turbine technology, certification, safety and large-scale electrical power system manufacturing.
Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of BETA, added:
“This partnership brings together two teams deeply committed to and guided by aerospace engineering excellence and building the future of flight. We believe the industry is on the precipice of a real step change, and we’re humbled that GE Aerospace has the confidence in our team, technology, and iterative approach to innovation to partner with us.”
GE Aerospace has a long track record in the development of hybrid electric propulsion, from its 2016 ground test of an electric motor-driven propeller to the 2022 test of a megawatt-class hybrid electric propulsion system conducted at altitudes simulating single-aisle commercial flight.
BETA’s aircraft, designed for all-weather performance, have undergone testing in varied environmental conditions across the US and Europe. Earlier this year, Ethiopian Airlines selected GE Aerospace’s GEnx engines to power 11 new Boeing 787s, expanding its GEnx fleet from 19 to 30 aircraft, and also confirmed its order for GE9X engines for eight Boeing 777-9s, with options for six more.
The partnership marks a significant step in advancing hybrid electric aviation technologies that could reshape the future of advanced air mobility.
SOURCE AND IMAGE: GE AEROSPACE
