NWUAV begins NW-88 UAV engine testing
Northwest UAV (NWUAV) has completed the first test runs on its new NW-88 multi-fuel twin-cylinder UAV engine in its on-site engine test cell, the company announced on 18 September.
The test concludes the design phase and the begins the development programme's test and qualification phase. The company will continue testing the NW-88 in its own climate controlled on-site engine testing facilities which include temperature-controlled test stands and altitude chambers.
The NW-88 multi-fuel twin-cylinder UAV engine has been designed to offer endurance and reliability to commercial and military Group III UAVs (in the 75-150lbs weight class).
NWUAV’s systems are designed to operate on heavy fuel or gasoline and fly for more than 18 hours in a broad variety of climates with a high power to weight ratio.
Chris Harris, president and owner, NWUAV, said: ‘We have taken what we’ve learned with the success of the NW-44 engine and applied it to the NW-88 engine. In fact, many of the components on the NW-88 are shared with the NW-44, which reduced the development timeline as well as development costs.
‘Should a customer that operates the NW-44 decide to deploy the NW-88 for an alternate airframe or need more power for a current airframe, many of the spares inventoried for the NW-44 are compatible with the NW-88. This can be very cost effective for our customers.’
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