Engines produced at the Oklahoma site could power the Kratos X-58 Valkyrie.
PARIS—Kratos will assemble a new family of low-cost turbofan engines for uncrewed aircraft systems and cruise missiles in Bristow, Oklahoma, a company executive announced June 15 on the eve of the Paris Air Show.
The 50,000-ft.2 facility will open in 2026 with two assembly lines for the GEK800 and GEK1500, two engines developed over the last decade by Kratos Turbine Technology (KTT) and since 2023 with GE Aerospace. KTT President Stacey Rock shared the news at an event in Paris hosted by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
The Kratos/GE partnership is investing upfront in manufacturing facilities ahead of a production order, Rock said.
The GEK800 and GEK1500, whose thrust ratings align with their respective designations, are designed to enter a market dominated by more expensive turbofans made by Williams International, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce.
Kratos started working on a new architecture for a lower-cost turbofan designed for expendable or attritable vehicles a decade ago.
The design leverages structural material and suppliers that are common with the automotive industry, Rock said. KTT and GE expect to build only a small number of parts themselves, and contract with potentially hundreds of traditionally automotive suppliers for most of the content, he added.
The Bristow facility will open with two assembly lines capable of delivering hundreds of engines a year and can scale up further with more lines based on demand.
“As we get into the first quarter of 2027, obviously what we're producing will depend on the contracts for production that we get, and that as we sit here today—I can't say which engine those first production orders will come for,” Rock said.
A potential candidate is a new engine to power the Kratos X-58 Valkyrie, which is the focus of ongoing experiment with the U.S. Marine Corps. The Defense Department also has proposed concepts for a host of new low-cost cruise missiles.
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