NW-88 engine development continues for UAVs
NW-88 heavy-fuel engine. (Photo: Northwest UAV)
Designed to power Group 3 UAVs with a maximum take-off weight of 75-150lb (34-68kg), the NW-88 is derived from the NW-44 produced by Northwest UAV.
Northwest UAV announced on 17 January that its NW-88 heavy-fuel engine ‘now supports five new [types of uncrewed] air vehicles’ tasked with performing ‘challenging and ground-breaking’ expeditionary ISR missions.
Designed to power Group 3 UAVs with a take-off weight of 75-150lb (34-68kg), the NW-88 is derived from the NW-44. The new engine has completed flight tests ‘with several of the aircraft, accruing hundreds of flight hours throughout 2021’, Northwest UAV claimed in a statement.
While Northwest did not specify which aircraft have test-flown the NW-88, among the Group 3 UAVs listed in the Shephard Defence Insight database are the Boeing Insitu RQ-21A Blackjack and ScanEagle 3, the L3Harris Technologies FVR-90, the Aerosonde Hybrid Quadcopter SUAS and the V-Bat 118 and V-Bat 128 from Martin UAV.
In 2021, the NW-88 gained interim flight clearance in the US from Naval Air Systems Command and executed multiple test flights and operational demonstrations, including ISR and delivery applications with multiple platforms.
Further developmental test flights with all aircraft and initial field deployments are planned for 2022.
Northwest expects to continue R&D work on its largest heavy-fuel engine called the NW-230. This engine is under development and will begin initial testing in 2022.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)]()
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
![SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale]()
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions]()
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America]()
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
![Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military]()
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
![Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures]()
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
