Manufacturer catalog

General Electric

General Electric is the long-running U.S. industrial and aerospace company founded in 1892 from the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston. Its continuing public-company line now operates as GE Aerospace, while the historical General Electric name remains tied to rotary cannon, minigun, aviation, propulsion, and other defense-industrial production.

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General Electric began in 1892 and grew into one of the best-known U.S. industrial companies, spanning aviation, power, lighting, and other advanced manufacturing lines. GE's modern corporate structure changed again in 2023-2024, when GE HealthCare and GE Vernova separated and GE Aerospace became the continuing public company.

General Electric's defense-industrial lineage includes historic GE-produced military hardware and the company's longer aerospace manufacturing base. That lineage includes the M61A1 Vulcan aircraft cannon, the M167 Vulcan air-defense system's GE 20 mm turret lineage, and the M134/GAU-2 family of 7.62 mm electrically driven miniguns, while modern GE Aerospace concentrates on aircraft engines, propulsion technology, and integrated aviation systems.

Aerospace propulsionMilitary aircraft enginesDefense systemsIndustrial manufacturingResearch and development

Notable Systems

M167 Vulcan, Towed 20 mm short-range anti-aircraft gun, Air Defense

M167 Vulcan

Towed 20 mm short-range anti-aircraft gun

GlobalSecurity identifies the General Electric 20-mm VADS turret as fitted to the M167 towed anti-aircraft system.

Sources: GlobalSecurity LAV-300/LAV-600
M61A1 Vulcan cannon, 20mm aircraft cannon, Aircraft & UAVs

M61A1 Vulcan cannon

20mm aircraft cannon

The M61A1 is the six-barrel 20 mm Vulcan aircraft cannon; the Hill Aerospace Museum caption preserved on Wikimedia Commons identifies the M61A1 Vulcan as built by General Electric.

Sources: M61A1 Vulcan side view.jpg | Wikimedia Commons, M61A1 Vulcan Cannon | National Museum of the United States Air Force
M134 Minigun, 7.62 mm minigun, Infantry Weapons

M134 Minigun

7.62 mm minigun

Designation-Systems lists the GAU-2/A as a 7.62 mm six-barrel minigun manufactured by General Electric, tying the M134/GAU-2 family to GE's aircraft-armament work.

Sources: Designation-Systems GAU Equipment Listing

Manufacturer History

  1. General Electric is incorporated

    GE's certificate of incorporation says the company was created by a special act of the New York Legislature effective 15 April 1892.

    Sources: GE Aerospace Certificate of Incorporation, GE Monogram Evolution

  2. GE HealthCare spin-off completes

    GE's spin-off resources say the company completed the separation of GE HealthCare on 3 January 2023.

    Sources: GE Spin-off Resources, GE History

  3. GE Vernova spin-off and GE Aerospace launch

    GE says GE Vernova spun off on 2 April 2024, and GE Aerospace launched the same day as the continuing public aviation company.

    Sources: GE History, GE Aerospace Launch

  4. GE Aerospace reports defense-engine production growth

    GE Aerospace's 2025 annual-report materials describe the continuing company as an aviation manufacturer with commercial and military aircraft-engine production, including Defense deliveries that grew during the year.

    Sources: GE Aerospace 2025 Annual Report

Predecessors
Edison General Electric CompanyThomson-Houston Electric Company
Successors
GE AerospaceGE VernovaGE HealthCare
Website links
GE About UsGE HistoryGE Spin-off ResourcesGE Aerospace launch announcementGE Aerospace annual report

General Electric is a legacy corporate name whose modern operating structure shifted in 2023-2024, so official GE and GE Aerospace history materials are used to align older General Electric weapon manufacturing attributions with the continuing GE Aerospace line.

Manufacturer Sources

  • GE Aerospace Certificate of IncorporationPublisher: GE Aerospace | Note: Supports the legal continuity of General Electric Company and the 1892 New York legislative act that created the corporation. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • GE Monogram EvolutionPublisher: GE Aerospace | Note: Supports GE's 1892 founding in Schenectady, New York, and the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston that formed General Electric. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • GE About UsPublisher: General Electric | Note: Supports GE's current corporate identity, the statement that the company has operated since 1892, the post-spin-off relationship to GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and GE HealthCare, and the current Cincinnati contact address. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • GE HistoryPublisher: General Electric | Note: Supports the 2023 GE HealthCare separation and the 2024 GE Vernova spin-off that left GE Aerospace as the continuing public company. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • GE Aerospace LaunchPublisher: GE Aerospace | Note: Supports the 2 April 2024 launch of GE Aerospace as an independent public company following the GE Vernova spin-off. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • GE Spin-off ResourcesPublisher: General Electric | Note: Supports the GE Vernova spin-off timing and the company-wide transition to GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and GE HealthCare as separate businesses. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • GlobalSecurity LAV-300/LAV-600Publisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the General Electric 20-mm VADS turret lineage that GlobalSecurity says was fitted to the M163 and M167 air-defense systems. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • M61A1 Vulcan Cannon | National Museum of the United States Air ForcePublisher: National Museum of the United States Air Force | Note: Supports M61A1 Vulcan cannon background, including its six-barrel 20 mm design, drive options, and firing-rate context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04
  • M61A1 Vulcan side view.jpg | Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Preserves a Hill Aerospace Museum caption identifying the 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan as built by General Electric. | Accessed: 2026-07-04
  • Designation-Systems GAU Equipment ListingPublisher: Designation-Systems.Net | Note: Supports General Electric manufacturer attribution for GAU-2/A and GAU-17/A 7.62 mm minigun designations related to the M134 family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04
  • GE Aerospace 2025 Annual ReportPublisher: GE Aerospace | Note: Supports current GE Aerospace public-company context, aircraft-engine manufacturing focus, military-engine production references, and 2025 defense-delivery growth. | Accessed: 2026-07-04
  • The General Electric Building.jpg on Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and reuse context for a CC BY 2.0 photograph of the General Electric Building at 570 Lexington Avenue, used as a GE-related landmark image. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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M61A1 Vulcan cannon, 20mm aircraft cannon, Aircraft & UAVs2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 1955 Vietnam WarM61A1 Vulcan cannon20mm aircraft cannonBuilt in: United StatesThe M61A1 Vulcan cannon is a U.S.-origin six-barrel 20 mm Gatling aircraft gun developed from the Project Vulcan line and originally associated with General Electric. Official Air Force material describes the M61A1 as a high-rate rotary cannon driven by electrical, hydraulic, or ram-air systems, museum and DVIDS-hosted Air Force history sources document M61/M61A1 use by F-105 Thunderchiefs during the Vietnam War, and UNITED24 Media reported Ukrainian F-16 gunfire against Russian cruise missiles in 2024. General Dynamics material presents the related M61A2 as a lighter M61A1-family version for weight-critical aircraft installations.
M195 20mm automatic gun, 20mm helicopter rotary cannon, Aircraft & UAVs1955 Vietnam WarM195 20mm automatic gun20mm helicopter rotary cannonBuilt in: United StatesThe M195 was a short-barreled 20 mm Vulcan-family automatic gun adapted for the AH-1G Cobra's XM35/M35 side-mounted helicopter armament subsystem. U.S. Army and General Electric program records tie the gun to 1968-1970 XM35 testing and production qualification, while Vietnam-unit accounts and Army historical material place the M35 installation on AH-1G Cobras used for long-range suppressive fire and escort/fire-support missions.

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

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M167 Vulcan, Towed 20 mm short-range anti-aircraft gun, Air Defense1990 Gulf War, 2014 Yemen Civil WarM167 VulcanTowed 20 mm short-range anti-aircraft gunBuilt in: United StatesThe M167 Vulcan is a U.S.-origin towed short-range air-defense gun built around the 20 mm M168 six-barrel rotary cannon, a carriage-mounted adaptation of the Vulcan family for close-in defense against aircraft and ground targets. U.S. records place M-167 guns with coalition forces during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, while Yemen imagery shows Houthi forces using captured guns on improvised vehicle mounts as mobile direct-fire weapons.

Category

Electronic Warfare

Systems built to sense, relay, jam, deceive, or attack electromagnetic networks.

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AN/ALQ-87 electronic countermeasures pod, Electronic countermeasures pod, Electronic Warfare1955 Vietnam WarAN/ALQ-87 electronic countermeasures podElectronic countermeasures podBuilt in: United StatesThe AN/ALQ-87 was a General Electric electronic countermeasures pod, originally designated QRC-160-8, that gave 1955 Vietnam War strike aircraft a podded radar-jamming option against radar-guided air defenses. U.S. Air Force history ties the pod to late-1967 combat introduction, broad 1968 strike-aircraft use, and F-111A Linebacker operations, while the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force displays an F-4C 1967 loadout with one ALQ-87 on the right inboard pylon.

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

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