Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 12, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 12, 2026
CFM is evaluating open-fan and advanced ducted engine designs to improve jet fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, impacting future Airbus and Boeing jets.
By Tim Hepher
PARIS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - French-US jet engine maker CFM is studying a more conventional "advanced ducted" engine design alongside its preferred option for a radical open-fan concept for future jets, as the industry debates fuel-savings and lower emissions, industry sources said.
The venture co-owned by GE Aerospace and France's Safran has been championing an open-rotor engine, featuring a large exposed fan instead of a traditional casing, as the most efficient and environmentally friendly architecture for the next series of Airbus and Boeing jets.
It says this would generate fuel and emissions savings of 20% under a widely publicised research programme called RISE.
But it is also looking in a more structured way than previously reported at a design where the fan would be contained inside a shell similar to casings on current engines. Experts say such designs save less fuel but can be more adaptable.
The choice of technologies has potential implications not only for the efficiency of aircraft entering service around 2040, but the commercial strategies of Airbus and Boeing.
The project to study the alternative architecture came to light in a Safran employee's job description seen by Reuters.
The employee's duties include work on future civil and defence projects, including the "Open Fan" and a separate, unpublicised project called "Advanced Ducted-Large" or ADL.
Three industry sources confirmed that CFM is working on "advanced ducted" architecture under RISE, which targets a cluster of technologies ahead of any specific engine design.
Safran and GE both declined to comment. The French company is due to report earnings on Friday.
CFM and its two shareholders have consistently said they are ready to provide whatever engines planemakers want and have never ruled out choosing a more conventional design, even as they tout the benefits of the open-bladed architecture.
But the emergence of a separate code name is the first tangible sign that the alternative engine design is being taken seriously enough to warrant standalone attention.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
An advanced ducted engine is a type of jet engine design where the fan is enclosed within a casing, aiming for improved adaptability and efficiency compared to traditional designs.
The RISE research program is an initiative by CFM aimed at developing technologies that enhance fuel efficiency and reduce emissions in future jet engines.
An open-fan engine features a large exposed fan design, which is believed to provide significant fuel and emissions savings compared to conventional jet engines.
New engine designs can affect the efficiency, environmental impact, and commercial strategies of major aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing.
CFM's innovations in engine design are crucial for advancing aviation technology, focusing on sustainability and efficiency in response to industry demands.
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