Insitu orders Orbital propulsion systems
Australia's Orbital will supply additional propulsion systems for the Insitu ScanEagle UAS under a USD$9.7 million order announced on 5 September.
This is the second batch of propulsion systems ordered by Insitu for ScanEagle, and will be used to meet immediate customer requirements. Orbital expects a long term consolidation agreement to cover ongoing supply to be signed by the end of 2016.
Shipments to fulfil the initial order, placed in August 2015, are currently underway.
Orbital has been working with Boeing and Insitu since January 2013 as part of an initial design, development and validation contract to supply a new engine and propulsion system for Insitu’s existing and future platforms.
Orbital’s UAV engine is a reciprocating internal combustion propulsion system designed specifically for UAV applications. The new technology delivers real-time monitoring and diagnostics of all critical systems, sensor and actuator redundancy, and ‘black box’ recording capability.
The new system can run on heavy fuel, has cold start capability, and advanced fuel efficiency. The engine is integrated with UAVE designed and supplied compact fuel and oil tank modules into a complete standalone propulsion system, simplifying the assembly of the UAV and allowing easy in-field servicing.
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