Through a representative in England, General Electric learned of the pioneering jet engine development of Frank Whittle. This resulted in a visit by General H.H. Arnold, Chief of the U.S. Army Air Corps, and manufacture of the Whittle engine by GE. The American engine incorporated a number of mechanical improvements, and two I-A engines first flew in a Bell P-59A in 1942.
GE followed with two designs of increased thrust; first the I-14 (aimed at 6,227 N (1,400 lb.) thrust) and then with the I-16. The J31-GE-3 (I-16-3) was an Air Force engine used in the Bell YP-59. It was the same as the J31-GE-1 except that mounting trunnions were reversed for right-hand mounting. The accessory section was also reversed.
Believing that future tactical needs would require turbojets to use the same fuel as reciprocating engines, the U.S. Navy developed a 100-octane, gasoline-burning version of the standard I-16, which normally ran on kerosene fuel.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.