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Innovative Heavy Fuel Engines for UAVs

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Orbital UAV

Innovative Heavy Fuel Engines for UAVs

4 Whipple St, Balcatta, WA 6021, AUSTRALIA Australia Regional offices

+61 (8) 9441 2311

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Orbital UAV is a world-leading developer of integrated heavy fuel engine systems for military drones. With a focus on Group 2 and 3 tactical UAS (unmanned aerial system) platforms, we provide innovative propulsion systems that enable global defense forces to field the state of the art in unmanned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and battlefield logistics.

With 40 years of experience in developing advanced engine solutions, and 15 years of experience as the global leader in spark-ignited heavy fuel propulsion technology, we supply and work closely with the world’s largest developers of tactical UAVs, including Insitu and Textron.

FlexDI

Spark ignition technology for heavy fuel UAV engines

Our spark-ignited heavy fuel engines are based around our proprietary FlexDI technology, featuring a spray-guided direct fuel injection system that utilizes injected air to atomize the fuel. The extremely fine level of atomization results in increased surface area and improves vaporization.

We have also developed an aerospace-qualified intelligent electronic propulsion management system that provides a range of built-in UAV-specific functionality including anti-stall, power management, speed control and engine protection.

Our engines are designed to provide highly efficient and reliable combustion of a range of heavy fuels including JP5, JP-8 and Jet-A1, allowing them to satisfy single-fuel policies that are currently being enacted by many defense forces around the world today. All Orbital heavy fuel engines are also able to run on gasoline, making them highly versatile.

Our Engines

50cc Heavy Fuel Engine

The Orbital 50cc Heavy Fuel Engine utilizes an air-cooled two-stroke single-cylinder design, and is capable of delivering 3.7 hp (2.8 kW) at 6500 RPM. Weighing just 3 kg, it can provide 250W of electrical power.

The real-world capabilities of the 50cc HFE have been rigorously proven, with over 150,000 service hours in the field with Insitu. This engine is the propulsion system of choice for the Insitu ScanEagle 3, a long-endurance tactical ISR drone in service with the U.S. and Australian armed forces.

For more information on the 50cc Heavy Fuel UAV Engine, please contact us.

75cc Heavy Fuel Engine

The Orbital 75cc Heavy Fuel Engine utilizes an air-cooled two-stroke single-cylinder design, and is capable of delivering 5.2 hp (3.9 kW) at 6500 RPM. Weighing just 4.4 kg, it can provide customizable levels of electrical power from 300 to 500W, to suit customer-specific requirements.

The 75cc HFE was selected for the Aerosonde MK4.7, a tactical hybrid VTOL sUAS designed for land-based and maritime ISR. It has undergone over 650,000 hours of in-field service with Textron.

For more information on the 75cc Heavy Fuel UAV Engine, please contact us.

150cc Heavy Fuel Engine

The Orbital 150cc Heavy Fuel Engine is our latest engine to enter full production, and features a horizontally-opposed twin-cylinder two-stroke boxer design. Weighing 6.4 kg, the MIL-STD-810H qualified engine can deliver 11.5 hp (8.5 kW) at 6500 RPM with customizable levels of electrical power from 300 to 1000W.

This engine has completed over 5000 hours of ground testing, as well as multiple 3x 150-hour FAR33.49b durability tests and 500-hour mission profile durability tests. It has been selected for Textron Systems’ Aerosonde MK4.8, a tactical hybrid VTOL UAS that has been purpose-built to meet the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift requirements. It is also being provided to a leading Singaporean defense company.

For more information on the 150cc Heavy Fuel UAV Engine, please contact us.

Facilities & Services

Orbital UAV’s dual operations in Perth, Western Australia, and Oregon, USA, provide world-class facilities with capabilities in design, embedded electronic control, manufacturing and development, as well as testing of engines, fuels and oils, and engine management systems.

Key test, development and production capabilities include:

Multiple engine test cells at each facility
In-house machine shop
Altitude simulation chamber with capability to 20,000ft; with temperature control to -35oC to 65oC
Semi-anechoic NVH room for noise assessments
Environment Stress Screening including HALT and HASS with simultaneous temperature and vibration
Comprehensive metrology department
Annual throughput capacity of 600+ new-build or MRO units at Australian facility & 240+ at US facility