GE Aerospace Completes Open Fan Turbine Testing
GE Aerospace has finished a high-speed low-pressure turbine test campaign in Poland as part of its CFM RISE program.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Air Travel
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GE Aerospace completed high-speed low-pressure turbine testing for its Open Fan engine architecture at the Polonia Aero laboratory in Zielonka, Poland. The testing followed more than 1,000 hours of work that began in 2025.
Why it matters
The Open Fan design removes the traditional engine casing and allows a larger fan with less drag, targeting fuel burn more than 20% better than commercial engines in service today. Collected data will support flight tests planned for later this decade.
Testing covered more than 1,000 hours of turbine validation, within a CFM RISE program that has completed approximately 500 test campaigns. The program targets fuel burn more than 20% better than commercial engines in service today, a figure not yet confirmed by flight results.
The players
GE Aerospace
GE Aerospace is a major American aircraft engine manufacturer, and its CFM International joint venture with Safran builds engines for narrowbody airliners.
The details
A custom test rig controlled air flow, temperature and pressure across a range of flight conditions to validate the turbine's aerodynamic design and aerothermal performance. The low-pressure turbine drives the Open Fan, a design that removes the traditional engine casing to allow a larger fan.
Timeline
2021: CFM RISE program unveiled
2025: Open Fan low-pressure turbine testing began
This decade: Open Fan flight tests planned
Roadmap
The CFM RISE program, unveiled in 2021, is the vehicle through which GE Aerospace is advancing Open Fan architecture as an alternative to conventional turbofan designs. This milestone moves that program closer to the flight testing stage planned for later this decade.
Travelers will not feel a change in how they book or fly until Open Fan engines reach flight testing and eventual service, which the source places later this decade. The engine's targeted fuel efficiency gains, if realized, could eventually influence airline operating costs and fares.
The takeaway
Improvements in engine fuel efficiency, like the Open Fan's targeted gains, tend to reach passengers slowly, as airlines adopt new aircraft over many years. Watch for flight test announcements from GE Aerospace as this program moves forward.
What happens next
Open Fan flight tests are planned for later this decade, though no specific date has been announced.
Further reading
Explore more developments in Air Travel as aircraft engine technology continues to evolve.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Machinery Market.
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