Aviation Engines, Propulsion & Auxiliary Power Units

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Safran Power Units will double production capacity at its Grand Prairie, Texas, facility to meet rising demand for turbojet engines used in missiles and drones. The expansion, scheduled for completion in 2028, will include a new assembly line for the TR40 engine family, which powers the Naval Strike Missile.

Safran said demand for the TR40 has quadrupled in recent years. The engine has been in service for more than 20 years, with over 1,200 units delivered worldwide. The Texas facility already assembles engines for Kratos Defense & Security Solutions' BQM-167 and BQM-177 aerial targets and supplies auxiliary power units for the U.S. Navy's T-45 Goshawk trainer.

The investment will expand Safran's U.S. manufacturing footprint as the company responds to growing demand for missile propulsion systems. The additional capacity will support domestic defense production and provide room for potential future applications.

Source: Forecast International
Associated URL: https://www.safran-group.com/

WARSAW, Poland - GE Aerospace and Military Aviation Works No. 1 (Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze Nr 1 S.A., or WZL-1) in Deblin have signed a final agreement to enable Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) support for T700/CT7 engines in Poland.

Under the agreement, WZL-1 will serve as a licensed MRO provider for T700/CT7 engines powering the Polish Armed Forces fleet, which includes Boeing AH-64 Apache, Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk, and Leonardo AW149 and AW101 helicopters. The agreement is part of a localization commitment supporting the Apache helicopter order placed by the Polish Ministry of National Defense in 2024.

"The competencies gained through this partnership will enable us to support the long-term readiness of the AH-64E Apache fleet and other critical platforms operated by the Polish Armed Forces. At the same time, it strengthens national security, advances the capabilities of the Polish defence industrial base, and solidifies WZL-1’s role as a strategic partner in the support of advanced aviation systems," said Jacek A. Goszczynski, CEO of WZL-1.

The T700/CT7 family of turboshaft and turboprop engines powers 15 types of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for more than 130 customers in more than 50 countries. In Europe alone, more than 1,300 T700/CT7 engines have been delivered or are on order for 20 European military and commercial customers.

Source: GE Aerospace
Associated URL: https://www.geaerospace.com/news/press-releases/ge-aerospace-and-military-aviation-works-no-1-wzl-1-finalize-t700-localization

MOSCOW - Russia has increased the use of jet-powered drones to evade Ukrainian defenses during air strikes. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the US government-backed news outlet, dissected a captured Geran-4 kamikaze drone, and found it was powered by a Chinese-made Telefly TF-TJ2000A turbojet engine capable of producing 440 pounds (1.96kN) of thrust.

The discovery corroborated months-old reports from Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence agency that the Geran-4 strike drones used Chinese Telefly engines -either imported directly as assembled units or built locally inside Russia using Chinese-sourced components. The integration of turbojets on the Geran is a major departure from the slower, propeller-driven piston engines found in earlier models like the Geran-2, the Iranian Shahed 136, and even Washington's knock-off model, LUCAS.

Russia first attempted to equip the older Geran-2 airframe with a Telefly JT80 engine, but the modifications failed due to structural limitations. Russia redesigned the airframe to be stronger and improved its aerodynamics to create the Geran-4. A larger model, the Geran-5, has completely abandoned the traditional delta-wing shape in favor of an outer mold resembling a conventional cruise missile. Both the Geran-4 and Geran-5 utilize the TF-TJ2000A turbojet engine.

The Geran 4 can reaching speeds of roughly 270 knots (500 km/h), more than double the 100-knot cruising speed of the Geran-2. Radio Free Europe reports the drone has a ceiling of more than 26,000 feet, far beyond the flight ceiling of propeller models. The increased speed and altitude come at the cost of operational range, which drops from 2,500 km on the Geran-2 to just over 700 km on the Geran-4.

Production is accelerating rapidly, with Ukrainian military intelligence estimating that up to 3,000 Geran-4 and Geran-5 units are being manufactured monthly across Russian facilities.

Source: Flightglobal
Associated URL: https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/2026/09/new-russian-attack-drones-found-to-have-chinese-turbojet-engines/