US Air Force Taps GE Aerospace, Kratos for JASSM Engine Alternative

The US Air Force has selected the GEK800 engine, jointly developed by GE Aerospace and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, as a potential second-source engine for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM).

The service awarded both companies an engineering, manufacturing, and development contract to further test and develop the 800-pound (363-kilogram) thrust turbofan engine designed for cruise missiles, collaborative combat aircraft, and other uncrewed aerial vehicles.

GEK800 completed altitude, durability, and operational limits testing in October 2025 and received the US Military Engine Type Designation F143-ZZ-100 in August 2026. 

The developments follow GE and Kratos beginning their collaboration in 2023 and officially unveiling the engine in July 2024. 

GE Aerospace President and CEO Amy Gowder described the designation and award as “a testament to the strong performance and capability of the GEK800 engine and the strength of our partnership with Kratos.”

In February, the companies received a joint $12.4-million US Air Force contract to design the GEK1500, a next-generation expendable engine based on the GEK800, intended to power small collaborative combat aircraft. 

The AGM-158 JASSM stealth cruise missile is launched from a wide range of bomber and fighter aircraft, including the B-52 Stratofortress and the F-35 Lightning II.

Fitted with a 450-kilogram (1,000-pound-class) penetrator warhead, the JASSM is designed to strike hardened and other high-value ground targets.

Its base model, powered by the Teledyne CAE J402 turbojet engine, can achieve ranges of around 370 kilometers (230 miles).

The JASSM-ER, meanwhile, uses a Williams International F107 turbofan and has a range of more than 500 miles (805 kilometers). 

The LRASM, an anti-ship missile derived from the JASSM family, also uses the F107 turbofan.