Northwest UAV announced that its newest heavy-fuel UAV engine, the NW-230, has achieved first flight operations with an undisclosed customer. The flight was conducted on a hybrid vertical take off and landing (HVTOL) UAV. These successful flight operations elevate the NW-230 engine system to a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 7 for flying in an operational environment under end-user mission control. Continued flight operations with the engine are on-going including active flight demonstrations being executed for end-users with real-world missions.
The NW-230, an EAR 99 export approved Heavy-Fuel UAV Engine, is expanding the availability of the engine to a global scale. The NW-230 is the next commercially available EAR-99 approved propulsion system in Northwest UAV’s family of engines which also includes the NW-44 and NW-88. The NW-230 EFI HF engine is designed for 90-160 kg aircraft. It is purpose-built to operate on heavy-fuel (JP5/JP8/TS-1/Jet A). The NW-230 uses combat-proven components derived from the NW-44 and NW-88 engine systems in operation at TRL9 on several airframes worldwide.
The NW-230 is an excellent choice for companies looking for an Aviation Grade, turn-key, cost-effective solution for their aircraft. Initial operational capability orders for NW-230 engine systems are being issued with deliveries in Q1 of 2024 for multiple UAV platforms. The NW-230 is the most efficient and configurable UAV engine on the commercial market. The multi-fuel ( Non-ethanol 93-100 octane gasoline (R+M)/2, Jet-A1, JP-5, JP-8, TS-1) engine designed for increased engine life, improved maintenance cycles, endurance, and reduced fuel burn.
From humble beginnings in a small-town Oregon garage to an expansive campus that offers the unmanned industry standard-setting engineering and propulsion – Northwest UAV is paving the way for the future of unmanned systems in heavy fuel propulsion and more recently, hydrogen fuel power. After over 15 years of business, the delivery of over 18,000 engines, and over one million flight hours, Northwest UAV continues to push the unmanned systems industry to expect and exceed aviation-grade standards, both domestically and internationally.
