General Atomics tests PT6 turboprop engine on MQ-9B RPAS
A MQ-9B SkyGuardian flies across the Atlantic Ocean. (Photo: GA-ASI)
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) and Pratt & Whitney have joined forces again.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) and Pratt & Whitney Canada have collaborated on testing of the PT6 E-Series model turboprop engine integrated with a MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS).
GA-ASI said in a 16 August statement that the engine tests were carried out at the company's Desert Horizon flight operations facility in El Mirage, California on 29 July.
The new engine, an alternative to the in-production Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop, will be on offer to future customers with performance benefits including a 33% increase in power, a dual channel electronic propeller and engine control system, according to David R. Alexander, President of GA-ASI.
'MQ-9B represents the next generation of RPA system having demonstrated airborne endurance of more than 40 hours in certain configurations, automatic takeoffs and landings under SATCOM-only control, as well as a GA-ASI developed Detect and Avoid system,' the manufacturer noted.
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