Powerplant Designed For Lightweight Tactical UAVs
A heavy-fuel engine for small UAVs undergoing testing at the
National Nuclear Security Administration's Nevada National Security
Site has successfully completed its first flight, according to
Ricardo, Inc., which is developing the powerplant.
UAV Prepped For Test Flight
The Ricardo Wolverine3 is a 3.1-horsepower, two-cylinder,
two-stroke, air-cooled engine with spark ignition, direct fuel
injection and 500 watts of on-board power. It is designed to power
lightweight, tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). For its
first flight, the Wolverine3 was integrated into a Nightwind 2
aircraft, built by Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), of Las Vegas. The
Nightwind is a blended wing aircraft with 100 percent composite
construction and a six-foot wingspan.
"Tactical UAVs are ideal for surveillance and
intelligence-gathering missions and the Ricardo Wolverine3 has the
potential to transform the role of UAVs on the battlefield by
solving the logistical, safety and reliability issues created by
today's gasoline-powered engines," said Kent Niederhofer, president
of Ricardo, Inc. "The Ricardo Wolverine3 is purpose-built for
lightweight tactical UAVs like the UAS Nightwind family but the
technology is readily applicable to auxiliary power units and
automated ground vehicles, as well as civilian markets like border
security and firefighting."
Stephen Cakebread, Ricardo project director, unmanned systems,
and architect of the Wolverine3, said the development team brought
the engine from concept to an operational,
production-representative prototype status in six months, and from
dynamometer first fire to first flight in less than five
months.
In that time, Ricardo has applied its full suite of advanced
design, modeling, simulation and manufacturing tools. Testing
leading up to the first flight included cooling duct optimization,
airframe to engine electrical interface, electromagnetic
interference (EMI) compliance, engine mount design, lubrication
system development, propeller drive, calibration refinement and
fuel delivery system development.
"The Wolverine3 design is optimized for performance, low weight,
package efficiency and durability and can be integrated into a wide
range of UAV designs," Cakebread said. "We'll take everything we
have learned and apply it to further enhance the Wolverine3
capabilities, and we look forward to expanding the Wolverine family
with a range of engines for new and different missions."