Safran — Next-Generation Aircraft Engines Under France 2030

Safran is the company most responsible for whether France 2030’s sustainable aviation ambitions become physical reality. As the 50% owner of CFM International – the world’s most successful commercial aircraft engine consortium (joint venture with GE Aerospace) – Safran’s engineering decisions about propulsion technology for the next generation of narrow-body aircraft will determine how aviation decarbonization happens globally, not just in France.

France 2030 has committed approximately EUR 600 million to Safran’s next-generation propulsion programs through the CORAC (Conseil pour la Recherche Aeronautique Civile) framework. This public investment acts as the French government’s stake in ensuring CFM RISE – the transformative engine program that will power the Boeing NMA and Airbus A320 replacement – develops with French content and research leadership at its core.

The LEAP Engine: Current Revenue Foundation

Before examining France 2030’s future investments, understanding Safran’s commercial position is essential. The LEAP engine – co-developed with GE, entering service in 2016 on the A320neo, 737 MAX, and C919 – is the world’s best-selling aircraft engine with a backlog exceeding 14,000 units as of 2025.

Revenue from LEAP propulsion contributes approximately EUR 12 billion of Safran’s EUR 23.8 billion total 2024 revenue (engine sales plus maintenance, repair, and overhaul). The LEAP’s -15A% fuel burn advantage over the CFM56 it replaced was achieved through advanced high-temperature turbine alloys (CMC components developed at Safran Ceramics, Toulouse), carbon-fiber fan blades (first composite fan blades on a commercial engine, manufactured at Safran Aircraft Engines Villaroche), and advanced aerodynamic design.

LEAP’s success is important to France 2030 because it validates Safran’s ability to deliver transformative propulsion technology on commercial timescales – the same capability that must deliver CFM RISE.

CFM RISE: The Technology Jump

CFM RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) is the formal technology development program announced by Safran and GE Aerospace in June 2021 targeting >20% fuel burn improvement versus LEAP. The improvement magnitude is equivalent to the entire gain Airbus achieved in transitioning from the A320ceo to A320neo – delivered in a single next-generation program.

The open fan architecture: RISE’s most visible innovation is replacing the conventional nacelle-enclosed turbofan with an open fan – a large-diameter, exposed counter-rotating fan with no surrounding duct. Open fan (or unducted fan) architecture allows a much higher bypass ratio (roughly 20:1 vs LEAP’s 9:1) with dramatically lower drag, enabling the fuel efficiency gains. Safran is responsible for the open rotor fan system design and manufacturing; GE for the core engine.

Safran’s open fan expertise traces to the 1980s GE36 and Safran/Snecma Open Rotor program – research investments that predated CFM RISE by 30 years but generated the fundamental aerodynamic and structural understanding needed for the current program. France 2030’s EUR 150M contribution to RISE’s open fan research (via CORAC) is an acceleration grant that moves testing from the research timeline to the commercial timeline.

Ground testing milestone (2025-2026): Safran’s open fan test rig at the Istres outdoor engine test facility (Bouches-du-Rhone) – the largest outdoor aircraft engine test site in Europe – began full-scale open fan aerodynamic testing in Q4 2025. Early results: measured efficiency matches computational predictions within 2%, confirming the aerodynamic modeling used for commercial certification planning.

Hydrogen combustion modification: RISE’s combustor architecture is being designed for both jet fuel and hydrogen combustion from the outset – a fundamental design choice that distinguishes it from purely drop-in fuel improvements. The hydrogen combustor differs from jet fuel combustion primarily in flame temperature management (hydrogen burns hotter) and NOx formation pathways. Safran’s DMXH program (Demonstrateur Moteur Hydrogene) is developing hydrogen combustor technology at reduced scale before integration into RISE.

eAPU: Electric Auxiliary Power

The eAPU (electric Auxiliary Power Unit) program is Safran’s contribution to eliminating aircraft ground power diesel emissions – currently responsible for approximately 3-4% of airport air quality emissions. The eAPU replaces the conventional gas turbine auxiliary power unit (used for ground electrical power and air conditioning when engines are off) with a fuel cell-based system running on liquid hydrogen.

France 2030 contributed EUR 35M to the eAPU program development at Safran Power Units (Toulouse). The eAPU is less technologically radical than RISE – it uses proven PEM fuel cell technology integrated with aviation electrical systems – but commercially important because it can enter service on existing aircraft before 2030, delivering measurable emissions reductions without waiting for new aircraft development.

Safran Power Units demonstrated a 100 kW eAPU ground prototype in 2024. Aircraft integration testing on a modified A320 test aircraft is targeted for 2026, with type certification for retrofit application targeted for 2028-2029.

LEAP Maintenance Revenue: France 2030 Sustainability Link

A less-discussed France 2030 connection: Safran’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business is France’s largest services export in the aerospace sector. Safran MRO facilities in Villaroche, Bordeaux, and Orly service LEAP and CFM56 engines from airlines worldwide.

France 2030 has committed EUR 120M to Safran’s MRO digital transformation – deploying predictive maintenance AI systems (using CFM56 and LEAP fleet operational data, with Health Data Hub-adjacent AI capabilities) that reduce unscheduled engine removals by 15-20%, extending engine intervals, and reducing CO2 from ground operations. This “maintenance efficiency” contribution to aviation sustainability is significant at fleet scale: 1,000+ fewer unscheduled engine removals per year means fewer replacement engines manufactured and fewer aircraft diversions.

Safran and the Supply Chain

Safran’s role as France’s largest aerospace tier-1 supplier creates extensive downstream effects for France 2030’s supply chain transformation program. Safran sources from approximately 1,200 French tier-2 and tier-3 suppliers – roughly 30% of France’s aerospace SME base.

Safran operates its own supplier development programs (Safran Suppliers Performance, Safran Academy for sub-tier suppliers) and co-invests with France 2030’s Supply Chain Transformation Fund to accelerate composite manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and digital twin capabilities at suppliers. France 2030’s EUR 120M supply chain fund for Safran-linked suppliers is co-matched by EUR 180M from Safran’s direct procurement development programs.

Key supplier technology investments (France 2030 co-funded):

Hexcel France (Roussillon, Isere): Carbon fiber prepreg for RISE composite fan blades – EUR 45M expansion, EUR 18M France 2030 support
Albany International (Saint-Jean-de-Braye): 3D woven composite performs for fan blade root fittings – EUR 30M investment, EUR 12M France 2030
Aubert et Duval (Les Ancizes, Puy-de-Dome): Titanium and nickel superalloy disc forgings for RISE compressor – EUR 80M modernization, EUR 25M France 2030

Financial and Commercial Context

Safran’s financial position makes it one of France 2030’s most credible private co-investors. With EUR 23.8B in 2024 revenue, EUR 2.7B in operating income (11.3% margin), and a net debt position reduced to EUR 3.1B from EUR 8.9B at pandemic trough, Safran has the balance sheet to sustain a multi-year EUR 2B+ RISE development program alongside its other investments.

For investors, Safran’s France 2030 participation creates a specific value inflection: if RISE achieves its 20%+ efficiency target and enters service by 2035-2037 as planned, Safran will capture 50% of what will be the largest single commercial aircraft engine program launch in aviation history – a program with 10,000-15,000 unit backlog potential over its first decade of production. That commercial opportunity justifies the R&D investment many times over.

The risk: if RISE misses its efficiency target, falls behind schedule, or if the aircraft manufacturer (Airbus, Boeing) decides not to launch the next-generation narrow-body before 2030, RISE delays correspondingly and the France 2030 co-investment’s commercial return horizon extends.