US Navy Commissions Cosworth Heavy Fuel UAV Engine Development

Cosworth has been selected by the US Navy as one of three companies to enter Phase 1 of the Ultra Endurance Unmanned Ariel Vehicle (UE-UAV) heavy fuel engine technology development program. Deliverables of the program include extensive ground and flight test evaluation of a heavy fuel engine against demanding performance criteria. The ultimate objective of the 2 year duration 3 phase multi-million dollar UE-UAV program being to prove technology readiness for transition to the STUAS/Tier II UAV programs.

"This contract represents another key milestone for Cosworth's Aerospace & Defense division and is a testament to Cosworth's engineering capabilities." said Tim Routsis, CEO of Cosworth.

Cosworth has established a significant presence in heavy fuel engine technology. The existing AE-1 engine is a compact and lightweight 3 horsepower engine that has already successfully completed flight trials and is close to achieving the US Navy's requirements. The performance of the AE-1 helped Cosworth win Phase 1 of the UE-UAV contract against stiff global competition. During this initial four month phase Cosworth will now further develop the AE-1 to increase power output, improve fuel efficiency and reduce noise.

Simon Corbyn, Business Unit Leader for Aerospace & Defense at Cosworth commented "Development of a range of heavy-fuel UAV engines is a key requirement to alleviate the military's dependency on multiple fuels. Existing UAV engines that are gasoline powered present significant logistics and critical safety concerns in a military environment. In contrast heavy fuels such as diesel and jet fuels are routinely supported and significantly reduce risk. We are delighted to win this contract with the US Navy to further develop and demonstrate Cosworth heavy fuel engine technology in UAV applications."