The UAV Engine of the Future

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A company pioneering in microturbine technology has recently announced the first flight of its first-of-a-kind microturbine propulsion system. Developed by UAV Turbines Inc, the Monarch 5 engine showed off its capabilities at Griffiss International Airport. The engine is designed to deliver a reliable and efficient propulsion system medium-sized commercial and military UAVs.

The Monarch 5 engine is planned to replace older and unreliable engines currently used by many UAVs. It offers UAV operators ease of use, remote start, quiet operation, and relatively little maintenance work.

The FAA expects that by the year 2023, the commercial UAV market will triple in size. UAVs will be in high demand for medical, cargo, search and rescue, and transportation needs. In order to effectively support these UAV applications, unmanned aircraft of the future will need to offer much more safety and reliability than current engines. The Monarch engine offers a propulsion system that provides a solution to this problem.

Uasvision.com reports that the Monarch family of engines are also ideal for applications such as ground and auxiliary power, as they can be configured as turbogenerators.