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Brian Everstine
September 22, 2025

The ATLAS Flight Test Vehicle.

Credit: GE Aerospace

GE Aerospace on Sept. 22 announced it conducted supersonic captive carry flight tests of a new solid-fueled ramjet, a milestone in the company’s advancement of this type of propulsion technology.

 

The ramjet, called the Atmospheric Test of Launched Airbreathing System (ATLAS) Flight Test Vehicle, was carried on a Starfighters F-104 at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The tests included three successful flights, with the system reaching supersonic speeds, GE said in the announcement.

 

The project was funded by the Pentagon through Title III of the Defense Production Act, with funding going toward scaling technology for air-breathing propulsion as a way to extend the range of munitions.

 

GE in an announcement said the tests validated performance of solid-fuel ramjets in flight.

 

“This marks a pivotal moment for GE Aerospace as we showcase our solid-fuel ramjet technology in flight for the first time,” Mark Rettig, vice president and general manager of Edison Works Business & Technology Development at GE Aerospace, said in a statement.

 

“Captive carry testing of reusable flight-test hardware allows for more frequent testing in realistic atmospheric conditions to better understand system behavior.”

Brian Everstine

Brian Everstine is the Pentagon Editor for Aviation Week, based in Washington, D.C.