AEROSPACE

GE to Pay U.S. $7.18 Million: General Electric Co. will pay the federal government to settle a whistle-blower’s lawsuit over the company’s jet engine standards, according to an agreement signed by U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith. The suit, filed by Ian Johnson, a GE electrical engineer working in suburban Cincinnati, alleged that problems with electromagnetic interference and lightning hazards could cause engines GE sold to the Air Force to fail. GE, which has denied its engines are unsafe, said it settled the case to avoid a long, costly court fight. About half of the settlement will cover the government’s testing and investigative costs, GE said. There was no immediate response from the Air Force or the Justice Department, which represented the government.