On November 13, 2024, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) completed final certification testing for a new 200-horsepower heavy fuel engine at its El Mirage, California flight facility. The Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) 2.0 is a highly reliable maintenance-free engine with a 40% increase in service life, resulting in longer maintenance-free operation. The engine delivers the horsepower and power needed to meet the demanding performance requirements of the new Gray Eagle 25M for Multi-Domain Operations (MDO).
The three-week qualification test for the HFE 2.0 engine meets the Federal Aviation Administration’s endurance testing requirements (FAA 14 CFR 33.49), the FAA’s primary performance standard for engines used in commercial aviation. Over the past 18 months, HFE 2.0 has excelled in rigorous endurance testing, including 2,450 full power cycles simulating high-stress conditions during three extensive test profiles: 200 hours, 400 hours, and 651 hours. Additionally, the engine completed 50 hours of flight testing across its entire flight range.
“This test is the culmination of an extensive durability and flight test program for the HFE 2.0 engine,” said David R. Alexander, GA-ASI President. “It was great to see the outstanding test results that validated the design and development of the HFE 2.0 engine, which we have been passionately working on for the past seven years, and introduced this world-class engine to the Gray Eagle fleet.”
GA-ASI and its General Atomics Europe subsidiary partnered with global leaders in high-performance engines, supported by propulsion technology innovator Cosworth, to develop the engine under the company’s internally funded research and development program. GA-ASI also enlisted General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems to design and build the engine’s dual brushless generators. It is designed to significantly reduce field maintenance and provide immediate replacement for existing generators. Enhanced generators provide more than 50 percent more power to support newly available payloads for MDO missions.
After FAA engine durability testing is completed, the next step requires a U.S. Army certification process to enable HFE 2.0 for use on GA-ASI’s existing fleet of GE’s Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This is a replacement for a 180 horsepower engine that has reached the end of its service life. HFE 2.0 is also the cornerstone of the modernized Gray Eagle 25M (GE 25M) UAS currently being produced under a U.S. Army-funded program to support future MDO UAS missions.
Introduction to GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), a General Atomics company, is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven and reliable RPA systems, radar, electro-optics and related mission systems, including Predator.® RPA series and Lynx® Multi-mode radar. With more than 8 million flight hours, GA-ASI provides a long-endurance mission-capable aircraft with the integrated sensor and data link systems needed to provide continuous situational awareness. It also produces a variety of sensor control/image analysis software, provides pilot training and support services, and develops metamaterial antennas.
For more information, please visit www.ga-asi.com.
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