A small-thrust, flight-weight, pulse detonation engine (PDE) is being developed by the General Electric Company as part of a small-scale propulsion systems program. This engine will incorporate mesoscopicand micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) to allow for integrated, large volume manufacturing at reduced cost. The engine development is a joint effort led by GE with Caltech and Stanford University aiding in the engine design, and Arizona State University and University of Cincinnati assisting with the MEMS design. These abstract details the progress made during the Phase-1 program. The pulse detonation engine is a potentially inexpensive engine capable of high-speed flight that does not require the multistage compressors and turbines of modern jet engines. Harnessing gaseous detonations, which offer extremely high power density, enables the simplicity. The key uncertainties of the engine design are the minimum combustor size, which is associated with the properties of the desired fuel (JP 8), and the detonation initiation process, which may require too much energy, power, or both.