RCV lands advanced engine contract for Honeywell Micro Air Vehicle

RCV Engines Ltd has won a second major contract from leading American defence and aerospace manufacturer, Honeywell, to produce a rotating cylinder valve engine for its backpack-sized Micro Air Vehicle (MAV). This follows on from a successful development and testing programme begun in December 2006, using the highly innovative rotating cylinder valve engine technology developed and patented by the company at its base in Wimborne, Dorset, UK.

The MAV is being developed by Honeywell as part of an advanced technology programme promoted by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), with whom RCV has worked since 1999. Military uses of the MAV include the clearance of mines and other munitions, as well as general surveillance and reconnaissance work. In addition to its intended military roles, the MAV also has numerous potential civilian applications, including border monitoring, fighting forest fires, geological surveying and even filming sporting events. A crucial advantage of RCV engine technology for application in the MAV is its inherent capability to operate on standard military grade JP8 fuel, avoiding the need for troops to carry additional and potentially more dangerous gasoline fuel supplies. Indeed, as the Single Fuel Concept (SFC) applied by the US Department of Defense requires that US forces use solely JP8 fuel while on deployment, RCV engine technology is also an ideal candidate for many other small military engine requirements such as mobile generator sets.

The 60 cc RCV engine – as shown at last August’s AUVSI Unmanned Systems North America exhibition in Washington – has been successfully completed. For the next stage of development of the MAV application, the engine will be upgraded to a 70cc unit, developing 4.9 hp running at 8000 rpm (compared with 4.3 hp at 8200 rpm for the previous version). Among the projected changes are the use of new materials technology and research into a new electronic control system for more precise control of fuelling. A key objective is to achieve a weight-neutral design change in upgrading the engine: it is anticipated that – as with other key project objectives hitherto – client expectations can be exceeded in this area. Delivery of a demonstration engine is expected in five months.

RCV managing director Eric Hill explains: “The RCV engine is robust and reliable, has comparatively few moving parts, and an impressive weight-to-power ratio, all of which makes it an ideal power unit for micro unmanned aerial vehicle applications such as Honeywell’s MAV. It is also almost unique among comparable units in that it runs well on JP8, the heavy, kerosene-based fuel preferred by the US military. We are delighted to have won of this further significant contract from Honeywell and believe we are in a prime position to become a leading engine supplier for unmanned aerial vehicles, an expanding global market.”