Orbital UAV has released the HFDI.50, the latest iteration of the company’s 50cc two-stroke heavy fuel engine platform that is designed to be easily integrated into small UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) airframes.
Delivering 3.6 hp and weighing just 3kg, the versatile propulsion system can run on JP5, JP8, Jet A, Jet A1, or gasoline without the need for re-tuning. The platform has been proven repeatedly under demanding real-world conditions, with over 250,000 in-service operational hours. With extremely low acoustic and thermal signatures, the HFDI.50 is particularly suited to tactical drone systems.
The highly compact HFDI.50 is supplied with a fully integrated engine management system and dynafocal tuned mounting system, allowing the engine to be easily installed into a variety of UAV airframes as a plug-and-play capability, with cleaner wiring and lower integration risk. Additionally, Orbital’s Direct Injection system utilizes discrete oil and fuel tanks, doing away with the need for precise mixing of oil and fuel into a single vessel. This simplifies engine operations, and Orbital will gladly advise on the sizing of these tanks based on fuel consumption and aircraft operating profiles.
As with all Orbital UAV engines, the HFDI.50 features the company’s proprietary FlexDI technology, which utilizes a spray-guided direct injection system that atomizes the fuel into droplets as small as 8 μm. This results in increased surface area and improved vaporization, which in turn delivers a cleaner, more complete burn and lowers fuel consumption by up to 30% or more.
A spokesperson for Orbital UAV commented: “The HFDI.50 is not just another UAV engine – it’s a heavy-fuel, integrated propulsion system built for missions where every gram and minute count.”
“Backed by over 1.2 million in-service flight hours across Orbital UAV’s series of engines with Tier 1 defence customers, our integrated propulsion systems deliver reliability where failure is not an option.”
