GE and TAI Extend Tusas Engine Industries Inc. Joint Venture for Another 25 Years

ANKARA, Turkey - Jan 29, 2010 - GE Aviation has renewed the Tusas Engine Industries, Inc. (TEI) joint venture with Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) for another 25 years. Under this agreement, TEI will continue to provide critical parts for commercial, military and marine engines through 2035, with TAI retaining a majority ownership in the joint venture.

"We are pleased to extend this valued relationship," said Jean Lydon-Rodgers, vice president and general manager of GE Aviation Military Systems. "Our involvement with TEI goes far beyond parts. Development of the Turkiye Technology Center in Istanbul, expansion into the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul arena, plus design and manufacturing of some of our most critical parts, underscores the growing scope of value TEI provides."

GE Aviation's long-standing relationship with TEI began in 1985 with the establishment of a facility for production of F110 engines that power F-16 aircraft for the Turkish Air Force. TEI now produces more than 560 different engine parts.

Recently, TEI launched parts manufacturing efforts for the GEnx, which powers both the Boeing 747-8 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. More than 1,000 GEnx engines are on order. TEI has also been selected to provide parts for the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team's F136 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter program, and is the only GE supplier to produce "blisk spools," a combination of blades and disks cast into a single forging for significant weight and durability advantages. TEI is also a recipient of GE Aviation's prestigious Brian H. Rowe Research & Development award for work on the J85 Ejector System.

Since its entry into the Turkish market in 1948 as the first foreign industrial investor, GE has steadily continued its growth through investments in technology and services. Today, GE is a leading player in finance, energy, consumer & industrial products, water technologies, media and engineering fields. GE employs 500 people in Turkey, and more than 18,000 employees through its joint ventures. GE Aviation's engines power the majority of fighters, cargo aircraft, helicopters and ships in the Turkish Armed Forces inventory, including F-16s, Black Hawks and Frigates. GE Aviation and CFM International also power more than 400 civil aircraft in Turkey.