EVENDALE, Ohio, June 19 (Reuters) - GE Aerospace

is developing a hybrid electric engine with the hopes it will

power next-generation narrow-body jets by the middle of the next

decade.

While the technology is still being tested, should GE be

successful, it could produce hybrid-engine jets - like a Toyota

Prius of the skies - that would go a long way toward cutting the

aviation industry's carbon emissions worldwide, half of which

come from single-aisle jets.

Hybrid cars are common on the roads, but decarbonizing the

aerospace industry is considered much more difficult. In hybrid

engines, an aircraft uses several energy sources while in

flight. Airbus estimates the mix of energy sources -

jet fuel or sustainable aviation fuels combined with electricity

- reduces fuel consumption by up to 5% compared to a standard

flight.

GE Aerospace is working with NASA on a project that will

embed electric motors or generators in a high-bypass turbofan to

supplement power during different phases of operation, company

executives said.

On Wednesday, the company said it has completed the initial

tests of the hybrid components and a baseline test of the

engine. It next plans to test the components and the engine

together.

The global aviation industry has set a goal of net-zero

emissions by 2050. But technologies such as electric and

hydrogen-powered aircraft are still unproven, making

decarbonization a formidable challenge for the industry, which

generates about 2% of global emissions.

Developing more fuel-efficient engines to cut emissions is a

new challenge for the aviation industry. Environmental critics

have said the industry's net-zero targets are unrealistic, and

argued that the only way to reach them is to substantially

reduce flying globally.

The hybrid engine program is one of several projects GE

Aerospace has been pursuing to develop more fuel efficient

technology.

In partnership with France's Safran, GE is testing

the building blocks for an open-bladed jet engine for the next

generation of medium-haul jets that will be able to reduce fuel

use and emissions by 20% from the middle of the next decade.

GE's rival RTX is also working on a hybrid-electric

technology demonstrator that combines a thermal engine with

electric motor, with a goal to improve fuel efficiency by 30%.