On Nov. 13, 2024, Normal Atomics Aeronautical Programs, Inc. (GA-ASI), accomplished its remaining qualification take a look at for its new 200-horsepower heavy gasoline engine at its El Mirage, California, flight facility. The Heavy Gasoline Engine (HFE) 2.0 is a extremely dependable low-maintenance engine with a 40 p.c enhance in service life offering longer maintenance-free operational durations. The engine will present the horsepower and electrical energy required to satisfy the demanding efficiency wants of the brand new Grey Eagle 25M for Multi-Area Operations (MDO).
The three-week qualification take a look at of the HFE 2.0 engine is aligned with the Federal Aviation Administration’s endurance take a look at necessities (FAA 14 CFR 33.49) because the FAA’s major efficiency commonplace for engines for use in business aviation. Over the past 18 months, HFE 2.0 excelled in strenuous sturdiness testing that included 2,450 full energy cycles simulating excessive stress situations throughout three in depth take a look at profiles of 200, 400, and 651 hours. Moreover, the engine accomplished 50 hours of flight testing throughout the flight envelope.
“This take a look at is the end result of the in depth sturdiness and flight take a look at program for the HFE 2.0 engine,” stated GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “It’s been nice to see the excellent take a look at outcomes which have validated the design and growth of the HFE 2.0 engine we’ve labored on so passionately for the previous seven years and to deliver this world-class engine to the Grey Eagle fleet.”
GA-ASI and its Normal Atomics Europe affiliate partnered with world leaders in high-performance engines — supported by propulsion know-how innovator Cosworth — to develop an engine on the corporate’s internally funded analysis and growth program. GA-ASI additionally introduced in Normal Atomics Electromagnetic Programs to design and construct the engine’s twin brushless generator, which is able to dramatically scale back subject upkeep and is designed to be a drop-in substitute for the prevailing generator. The improved generator will ship over 50 p.c extra electrical energy to assist newly obtainable payloads for the MDO mission.
After completion of the FAA engine endurance take a look at, subsequent steps name for the U.S. Military certification course of to permit authorization of the HFE 2.0 to be used on the prevailing fleet of GA-ASI’s Grey Eagle Prolonged Vary (GE ER) Unmanned Plane System (UAS) as a substitute for the 180-horsepower engine that’s reaching its finish of life. HFE 2.0 can also be the cornerstone of the modernized Grey Eagle 25M (GE 25M) UAS presently being produced below a U.S. Military-funded program to assist future MDO UAS missions.
About GA-ASI
Normal Atomics Aeronautical Programs, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of Normal Atomics, is a number one designer and producer of confirmed, dependable RPA methods, radars, and electro-optic and associated mission methods, together with the Predator® RPA sequence and the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar. With greater than eight million flight hours, GA-ASI gives long-endurance, mission-capable plane with built-in sensor and knowledge hyperlink methods required to ship persistent situational consciousness. The corporate additionally produces quite a lot of sensor management/picture evaluation software program, presents pilot coaching and assist companies, and develops meta-material antennas.
For extra info, go to www.ga-asi.com
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