Perth-based Orbital Corporation has delivered the first purpose-built internal combustion propulsion system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Boeing subsidiary Insitu.
The company has been working with Insitu since January 2013, and the system incorporates its new Argon Engine Control Unit.
This provides real-time monitoring and diagnostics of all critical systems, plus extensive ‘black box’ recording capability.
The system also uses Orbital’s FLEXDI technology, which boosts engine performance for heavy-fuel Small Unmanned Aircraft System applications and significantly extends vehicle range.
The global SUAS market is projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2020 because of increasing civil and military applications.
The overall UAV market is expected to double in the next five years.