The only 5 countries capable of producing high-end commercial and fighter jet engines
August 30, 2025
Only a select few countries have the ability to produce advanced aircraft jet engines from start to finish. Currently, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Russia are able to produce engines for commercial aircraft and fighter jets, while China can produce engines for fighter jets.
The United States: GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney
The United States remains the biggest player when it comes to the production of advanced aircraft engines. It also supplies engines to other countries that produce aircraft, from Brazil’s Embraer to India’s HAL Tejas.
Currently, only two companies in the United Kingdom and the United States produce engines for widebody commercial aircraft. GE Aerospace exclusively provides the engines for Boeing 777 (including 777X) aircraft, remaining 767 freighters, and the most popular engine option for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Pratt & Whitney has historically produced engines for widebody aircraft, but has stepped back to focus on engines for narrowbody aircraft. It still supplies the engines for the Air Force’s new KC-46A Pegasus tankers (based on the 767). It is unclear if Pratt & Whitney will re-enter the commercial market for widebody engines.
All US fighter jets are powered by General Electric or Pratt & Whitney engines, although some Air Force aircraft have Rolls-Royce engines.
ICYMI, our #F100 is part of the hypersonic propulsion solution for @HermeusCorp’s Darkhorse Chimera II engine. Part of what makes this engine so special is its transition from turbojet mode to ramjet mode.
— Pratt & Whitney (@prattandwhitney) November 14, 2023
Check it out here. 👀 #DAS23 pic.twitter.com/TmbzZOZFnH
Two other US companies that produce jet engines include Honeywell Aerospace (e.g., HTF700) and Williams International (e.g., FJ44). Other important jet engine companies include Moeller Aerospace, Enjet Aero, Burke Aerospace, and Unison Industries.
Meanwhile, Beehive Industries is working on 3D printing critical components for its Rampart family of engines for the CCA programme
The United Kingdom: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce is the leading aero-engine company of the United Kingdom and is one of the leading companies in the world. Rolls-Royce exclusively provides the engines for the Airbus A330neo and A350, and it offers the less-popular option for the Boeing 787.
Rolls-Royce also produces engines for business jets and other aircraft, including the LiftFan System in the F-35B. The Rolls-Royce BR700 powers aircraft like the Boeing 717 and Gulfstream V, and it has been selected as the engine replacement for the USAF B-52 Stratofortress bombers (designated the F130).
Rolls-Royce also produces fighter jet engines. The Eurofighter Typhoon’s Eurojet EJ200 engine is largely based on the British Rolls-Royce XG-40 demonstrator, while the upcoming GCAP/Tempest is to be powered by an RR engine.
GE Aerospace (with the LM2500 based on the CF6) and Rolls-Royce (with the MT30 based on the Trent 800) also produce most of the gas turbine engines powering Western warships.
France: Safran (formerly Snecma)
Safran is the leading jet engine company of France. Most of Safran’s commercial contribution is through the CFM International 50-50 joint venture with GE Aerospace. But its engines can be found elsewhere (e.g., pre-sanctioned Sukhoi Superjets).
The CFM International LEAP exclusively powers the Boeing 737 MAX and COMAC C919 families of aircraft, and is the most popular option for the A320neo family.
The French Dassault Rafale is powered by the Snecma M88, and a Safran engine is earmarked to be developed for the forthcoming AMCA jet fighter in India. Safran is also a leading contractor developing the engine for the next-generation FCAS fighter jet.
Russia: United Engine Corporation
All Russian and Soviet frontline fighter jets feature Russian engines. Russia’s United Engine Corporation is responsible for engine production and includes subsidiaries like Saturn and Klimov. Russia’s ability to produce engines has been adversely impacted, but not stopped by sanctions.
In Russia, Aviadvigatel is producing the Aviadvigatel PD-14 to power the Yakovlev MC-21 airliner and the Aviadvigatel PD-8 to power the Superjet. It also produces the Aviadvigatel PS-90 for military Il-76 and Beriev A-50 aircraft, as well as commercial Il-96 and Tu-204 aircraft.
China: Aero Engine Corporation of China
China is the newest country to join the exclusive club of countries producing their own domestic fighter jet engines. However, most of its older jets are powered by Soviet/Russian engines.
China, through AECC, has finally achieved independence for fighter jet engines after decades of effort. Example Chinese fighter jet engines include the WS-10 (Taihang) for J-10/J-11 and the WS-15 for the J-20.
For now, China has to import Western engines for its COMAC C909 and C919 aircraft. However, it is developing its own engine, the ACAE CJ-1000A, to power the C919.
Flight testing of the engine began in 2023, but it has rarely been seen in public since. Some analysts don’t think it will be ready before 2030.
Ukraine: a possible sixth player
In 2021, Igor Kravchenko, General Manager of Ivchenko Progress, stated, “Ukraine is one of the 6 countries that can produce engines from start to finish.”
This was in the context of an agreement to supply the Ivchenko-Progress AI-322 engine to Turkey to power the next-generation Kızılelma unmanned combat drone.
Notably, the Chinese Hongdu JL-10 (Hongdu L-15 Falcon) supersonic advanced jet trainer/light combat aircraft is also powered by the Ukrainian AI-322 engine.
The ongoing war and other issues make it unclear to what extent Ukraine can still build engines from start to finish, although it is still supplying AI-322 engines to Turkey and is gearing up to mass-produce the new FP-5 Flamingo heavy cruise missile with domestic engines.
Japan and Germany
Japan and Germany are major players in the field. The primary German company is MTU Aero Engines, which develops, manufactures, and provides service support for both civil and military aircraft engines. It is a major contractor in servicing the CFM International LEAP family of engines.
MTU has a 33% share in the Eurojet EJ200 engine that powers the Typhoon and is working with Safran to develop the next-generation engine to power the FCAS. Germany has not solo-built advanced jet engines since WWII. MTU manufactures critical engine components, but not entire engines.
Japan retains a significant aerospace industry and has developed and built its own engines to some extent. Japan’s IHI Corporation leads with 60-70% of the domestic market share.
Domestic IHI projects include the high-bypass F7 series. The F7-10 variant powered the Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft currently in production, which is replacing the Lockheed P-3C Orion in Japanese service. The engine has experienced significant issues like recurring corrosion from exposure to airborne salt. Has grounded large numbers of P-1 aircraft.
IHI has also developed the XF9 prototype low-bypass engine for the Mitsubishi F-X 6th-generation fighter jet, which is now integrated into the GCAP programme.
Countries assembling fighter jet engines under license
Several countries assemble or manufacture engines under license to varying degrees of indigenisation. Leading examples include Sweden (GE F404/F414), Japan (P&W F100 & GE F110), India (GE F404/F414 and Russian AL-31FP), Turkey (GE F110), and South Korea (GE F414).
The General Electric F404/F414 is notable for powering several foreign aircraft. Not only does the engine power the F/A-18 Hornet family of aircraft, but variants also power India’s HAL Tejas, the Turkish TAI Hurjet, the South Korean KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, the South Korean KF-21 Boramae, and the Swedish J-36 Gripen (as the Volvo RM12).
Some countries, like Turkey and India, are attempting to develop their own engines. Until they do, their domestic fighter jets are powered by imported engines.
India, in particular, has spent decades trying to develop a domestic engine (notably the GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri). By comparison, Turkey’s engine programme remains nascent.
