GE Aviation, which has 2,600 employees in the Dayton area, has been selected for negotiations on developing engine technology for the U.S. Air Force.

The technology is not for a production engine, but is a demonstration program that has no announced fighter application yet, a GE Aviation spokesman said. The program will enable GE to address the Air Force’s propulsion needs for improved fuel burn for combat aircraft beyond 2020, the company said.

Development work for what’s called the “Adaptive Engine Technology Development program” will be conducted in the company’s headquarters in Evendale, Ohio. The program focuses on technology for future strike, bomber and tactical aircraft.

Once negotiations are complete and the contract is awarded, GE said it will share the costs of the program with the Air Force.

GE Aviation has 1,400 employees at three local sites — two in Vandalia as well as Unison Industries in Beavercreek — and 9,000 employees in Ohio overall. Counting a credit card operation in Kettering, GE has 2,600 local employees, the company has said.

The company is also building a $50 million, 120,000-square-foot Electrical Power Integrated Systems Research and Development Center (EPISCENTER) on the University of Dayton campus off River Park Drive.