Kratos Announces the GEK800 Has Successfully Completed Altitude Testing

Rhea-AI Summary

Kratos (Nasdaq: KTOS) and GE Aerospace announced the GEK800 engine completed altitude, durability, and limits testing at Purdue Zucrow Laboratories, concluding a test campaign that began in late September 2025.

The GEK800 is an 800-lb thrust-class engine; teams reported more than 50 ground starts, discovery of rotor speed and compressor boundaries, and the first engine trial at the expanded ZL9 facility. The program is supported by AFRL and ONR and follows a formal teaming agreement signed in June 2025 to advance development and production.

Positive

• Altitude testing successfully completed, advancing certification path
• 800-lb thrust-class engine suitable for UAS and CCA platforms
• More than 50 engine starts in ground testing to date
• Formal teaming agreement signed in June 2025 with GE Aerospace
• Test supported by AFRL and ONR, boosting program credibility
• First tests at expanded ZL9 facility at Purdue Zucrow Laboratories

Negative

• None.

Insights

Propulsion Program Analyst

Successful altitude and limits testing of the GEK800 advances readiness and clears a technical hurdle toward production.

The joint test campaign led by Kratos, GE Aerospace, and Purdue Zucrow Laboratories completed altitude, durability, and engine-limits testing after beginning in late September and concluding the week of Oct. 31, 2025. The program recorded more than 50 engine starts in ground testing and expanded the altitude envelope while identifying rotor speed and compressor boundaries, which are concrete technical outputs that support further development and integration work.

The effort explicitly involved the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) and used the newly expanded ZL9 facility. These facts indicate institutional support and a newly available test asset, but do not guarantee production or fielding. Key dependencies remain: completion of remaining development tasks, any formal production decisions under the teams’ teaming agreement, and follow-on integration and qualification steps.

Watch for formal production milestones and program decisions under the teaming agreement, continued test reports that quantify limits and durability, and any announced schedules to move from testing to manufacturing; the immediate horizon is the post-test maturation and production-path work referenced in the announcement.

Engine Designed for Next-Gen CCA-type Aircraft

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a technology company in Defense, National Security and Global Markets, and GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) today announced the successful completion of altitude testing. The companies also conducted durability and limits testing on its GEK800 engine designed to power the next generation of affordable unmanned aerial systems and CCA-type aircraft. The testing began late September and progressed through a very stringent timeline through altitude tests and concluded this week with testing engine limits.

“Successfully completing altitude testing marks a major milestone in the GEK800 engine program and demonstrates the strength of our partnership with GE Aerospace, AFRL, and Purdue University’s Zucrow Laboratories,” said Stacey Rock, President of Kratos Turbine Technologies. “This collaboration has been instrumental in advancing the engine’s development, validating its performance, and accelerating its path toward production. Together, we’re delivering on our shared commitment to provide high-performance, affordable propulsion systems that can be rapidly produced to meet the demands of our defense customers.”

With the successful completion of altitude testing, the test team – a collaboration between Kratos, GE Aerospace, and Purdue University’s Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories – has achieved a major milestone this week, pushing boundaries which demonstrate the robustness of this advanced engine design and gaining a clear path towards production in delivering on our nation’s defense readiness with the aid of rapid and affordable testing. This engine test also marks the first at the newly expanded ZL9 test facility at Zucrow Labs.

"Our joint team successfully expanded the altitude testing envelope and identified the engine's rotor speed limits and compressive system boundaries. This testing further demonstrated the engine's outstanding performance and durability,” said Mark Rettig, Vice President & General Manager of Edison Works Business & Technology Development at GE Aerospace. 

1 Induced Stall Testing Exhaust Flame Durability and Limits Test

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/207fc807-7669-459d-aabf-5271c30e4880

The GEK800 is an 800-lb jet engine that could potentially power unmanned aerial systems (UAS), collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs), and missiles. Initially developed and ground tested by Kratos over the course of a decade, Kratos and GE Aerospace began working together in 2023 to complete additional development efforts and testing on the engine and have completed more than 50 engine starts in ground testing at Kratos and GE Aerospace testing facilities. In a collaboration with GE Aerospace, Kratos Defense, and Purdue Zucrow Labs, an aggressive test timeline was met and successfully demonstrated a reliable, durable engine solution. Success in testing has been made possible with the involvement of both the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Office of Naval Research (ONR).

“The recent collaboration between GE Aerospace, Purdue University, and the Kratos test teams demonstrated a high level of alignment, efficiency, and technical excellence. The joint team successfully met nearly all test objectives while also validating the capability to conduct this style of testing within a newly commissioned facility. The dedication, expertise, and hard work contributed by each team member were instrumental to the success of this effort and are truly commendable,” said Daniel Fineberg, Kratos GEK800 Test Coordination Lead.

In June, Kratos and GE Aerospace announced the signing of a formal teaming agreement to advance propulsion technologies for the next generation of affordable unmanned aerial systems and CCA-type aircraft. This collaboration strengthens the companies’ ongoing partnership and builds on last year’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance the development and production of small, cost-effective engines for unmanned platforms. The new teaming agreement expands on that MOU and provides the framework for the two companies to develop, manufacture, test, and field the GEK800 engine.

Kratos brings more than 25 years of experience developing and producing small, affordable engines for UAS, drones, and missile platforms. GE Aerospace adds a century of expertise in propulsion technology and the ability to scale advanced designs into high-rate production, helping bridge the gap from prototype to deployment.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) is a technology, products, system and software company addressing the defense, national security, and commercial markets. Kratos makes true internally funded research, development, capital and other investments, to rapidly develop, produce and field solutions that address our customers’ mission critical needs and requirements. At Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we seek to utilize proven, leading-edge approaches and technology, not unproven bleeding edge approaches or technology, with Kratos’ approach designed to reduce cost, schedule and risk, enabling us to be first to market with cost effective solutions. We believe that Kratos is known as an innovative disruptive change agent in the industry, a company that is an expert in designing products and systems up front for successful rapid, large quantity, low-cost future manufacturing which is a value-add competitive differentiator for our large traditional prime system integrator partners and also to our government and commercial customers. Kratos intends to pursue program and contract opportunities as the prime or lead contractor when we believe that our probability of win (PWin) is high and any investment required by Kratos is within our capital resource comfort level. We intend to partner and team with a large, traditional system integrator when our assessment of PWin is greater or required investment is beyond Kratos’ comfort level. Kratos’ primary business areas include virtualized ground systems for satellites and space vehicles including software for command & control (C2) and telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), jet powered unmanned aerial drone systems, hypersonic vehicles and rocket systems, propulsion systems for drones, missiles, loitering munitions, supersonic systems, space craft and launch systems, C5ISR and microwave electronic products for missile, radar, missile defense, space, satellite, counter UAS, directed energy, communication and other systems, and virtual & augmented reality training systems for the warfighter. For more information, visit www.KratosDefense.com.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 29, 2024, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.

About GE Aerospace   
GE Aerospace is a global aerospace propulsion, services, and systems leader with an installed base of approximately 49,000 commercial and 29,000 military aircraft engines. With a global team of approximately 53,000 employees building on more than a century of innovation and learning, GE Aerospace is committed to inventing the future of flight, lifting people up, and bringing them home safely. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future at www.geaerospace.com. 

Press Contact:
Claire Cantrell
claire.cantrell@kratosdefense.com

Investor Information:
877-934-4687
investor@kratosdefense.com

FAQ

What did Kratos and GE Aerospace announce about the GEK800 on October 31, 2025?

They announced successful completion of altitude, durability, and limits testing for the GEK800 engine.

What is the thrust class of the GEK800 engine (KTOS) tested in October 2025?

The GEK800 is an 800-lb thrust-class jet engine targeted for UAS, CCA, and missile applications.

How many engine starts have been completed in GEK800 ground testing reported by Kratos (KTOS)?

Kratos and GE Aerospace reported completing more than 50 engine starts in ground testing.

When did Kratos and GE Aerospace sign the teaming agreement to advance the GEK800?

Kratos and GE Aerospace signed a formal teaming agreement in June 2025 to develop and produce the GEK800.

Which U.S. defense organizations supported the GEK800 testing reported by Kratos (KTOS)?

The program reported involvement from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

Where was the recent GEK800 altitude testing conducted for Kratos (KTOS)?

Altitude testing concluded at Purdue University's Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, including the newly expanded ZL9 test facility.