Northwest UAV In the News!

January 8, 2024 | McMinnville, OR: At the tail end of 2023, NWUAV was invited by one of their highly respected customers to conduct performance and altitude testing onsite. NWUAV visited their customer’s altitude dyno test chamber to validate the capabilities of the NW-230 Heavy Fuel engine. Testing went extraordinarily well, with only a few minor adjustments to the fueling map to address the barometric pressure changes as the engine ascended to 36,000-foot DA.

“It wasn’t unexpected that we would need to make minor adjustments to the fueling map to compensate for the altitude and temperature changes as we climbed. What was somewhat unexpected was the ability to get to ~36,000’ DA, which is where 737’s fly daily.” Said Chris Harris – CEO and owner of NWUAV. “The engine was operating well at that altitude and could have gone higher. The fuel-air charge between cylinders was consistent from sea level to altitude, which is typically a tough problem to overcome with a normally aspirated 2-stroke boxer engine operating on heavy fuel. I’m thrilled with the performance of the engine and its capabilities. Previously, as I have stated, trying to burn heavy fuels reliably at extreme temperatures and altitudes is critical to satisfying the future of tactical unmanned aircraft requirements, and the NW-230 is clearly on point to meet these missions.” said Chris Harris.

The altitude test is just one segment of the engine testing series for the NW-230. Mr. Harris went on to state, “Our highest priority is demonstrating product capabilities for customer combat mission operations that support the warfighter as we march through the product roadmap. From TRL 7 to total rate production and manufacturing readiness, Northwest UAV stands ready with its full line of propulsion solutions, the NW-230 being the latest release.”

The NW-230, an EAR 99 export-approved Heavy-Fuel UAV Engine, continues to prove its capabilities for UAV operations through multiple applications and mission operations from sea level to high altitudes. For information regarding Northwest UAV’s complete family of aviation-grade, turn-key, cost-effective propulsion solutions, please visit NWUAV NW-230 Multi-Fuel Engine.

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October 9, 2023 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV is proud to announce 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.

To discuss the NW-230 options in person you can find us October 9 – 11 at AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition, Booth #540.

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June 1, 2023 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV is proud to announce that its newest heavy-fuel UAV engine (NW-230) has received EAR 99 export approval, expanding market reach on a global scale. Export Administration Regulations, commonly known as (EAR), administered by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, control most US exports of products considered strategically significant. 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, meaning it will not require an export license in most situations.

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), which results in higher efficiencies vs. converting or utilizing gas engine components to run on heavy fuel. Additionally, the NW-230 uses combat-proven sub-system components derived from the NW-44 and NW-88 that are in operation (TRL9) on several airframes worldwide. Therefore, the NW-230 is an excellent choice for companies looking for an Aviation Grade, turn-key, cost-effective solution for their aircraft.

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April 29, 2023 | McMinnville, OR: Integrated on Skyways V2.6 cargo aircraft, Northwest UAV’s NW-88 Engine was a key differentiator for Skyways during their successful demonstration at the Navy’s Bluewater competition late last year at Webster Field in Pax River, MD. “Working alongside the Skyways team as they march forward to provide a cargo solution that meets the Navy’s stringent reliability requirements, among them a must- have heavy fuel engine that operates on JP5, has been a privilege,” said Chris Harris, President, and Owner of NWUAV. “It has always been our company’s mission to support the warfighter and this project in particular is exciting. As Skyways works to solve capability gaps in critical delivery methods, we in turn have been working on continuous improvements to make the V2.6 as plug-and-play as possible.” As a result, the latest upgrade to the most recent Skyways orders for the NW-88 is the integration of a remote start capability and an updated battery charging system and generator.

These updated remote start capabilities simplify operations, allowing the “Start” command to come directly from the pilot. Improving UAS capabilities, the eVTOL lift battery pack recharges during steady-cruise flight, allowing for multiple destination missions without battery swaps. “Integrating remote-start and battery-charging capabilities into the engine reduces the amount of GSE required when interfacing with the aircraft. With these system upgrades, operator interface with the NW-88 is boiled down to adding fuel (if needed), allowing the operator to focus on the importance of the task at hand – managing the mission.” …

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October 3, 2022 | McMinnville, OR: After beginning the program early this year and producing a concept prototype just this last May, Northwest UAV (NWUAV) is proud to announce the completion of the first test runs on its newest engine, the NW-230 multi-fuel twin-cylinder UAV engine.

Following the successes of the NW-44 and NW-88 multi-fuel UAV engines, the NW-230 is set to fill other mission gaps in the maturing UAS industry. The NW-230 engine is designed to offer endurance and reliability to Group III UAVs, which are increasingly being used for commercial and military purposes. While organizations are still trying to field hobby-grade engines, NWUAV President and Owner Chris Harris continues to employ his extensive background in manned aviation to produce aviation-grade solutions…

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April 20, 2022 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV (NWUAV) is proud to be a part of the team bringing the United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF) the energy-efficient solution of the Skylark 3 Hybrid. Equipped with a hybrid propulsion system featuring NWUAV’s NW-44 Multi-Fuel Engine alongside an electric motor, the Skylark 3 Hybrid Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (STUAS) has tripled in endurance, without altering the size and weight of the aircraft. Offering up to 18 hours of operations, the Skylark 3 Hybrid offers RAF a more environmentally responsible UAV to help them achieve future capability ambitions.…

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March 21, 2022 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV (NWUAV) is proud to announce a collaborative and long-term effort with Elbit Systems as part of the Skylark 3 Hybrid team. As a result of this team effort, the Elbit Systems Skylark 3, equipped with the proven Northwest UAV NW-44 Multi-Fuel Engine, was presented for the first time at the Singapore Airshow last month. The Skylark 3 Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (STUAS) is equipped with a hybrid propulsion system consisting of both an electric motor and the NW-44 multi-fuel internal combustion engine. This combination triples the aircraft's endurance and offers up to 18 hours of operations, with no impact on the size or weight, significantly increasing mission effectiveness…

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January 13, 2022 | McMinnville, OR: Integrated on five separate aircraft, Northwest UAV’s NW-88 Engine has completed flight testing with several of the aircraft, accruing hundreds of flight hours throughout 2021. With continued-development test flights for all aircraft planned in 2022 and initial field deployments scheduled, these numbers are set to significantly increase through the year.

“Listening to the industry and our contacts in defense organizations, we learned that certain missions weren’t being flown,” said Chris Harris, President and Owner of NWUAV. “ Not because they aren’t significant missions, but because they didn’t have the appropriate engine…

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July 26, 2021 | McMinnville, OR: On Thursday, July 15, NWUAV was joined by a variety of stakeholders to celebrate the grand opening of their hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing center. Featuring UAV engineering, machining, wiring, engine manufacturing, testing, and now UAV hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing, the NWUAV campus is a unique UAV tech and manufacturing hub in McMinnville, Oregon.

The grand opening ceremony featured a variety of speakers, each with a unique perspective on the implications of the hydrogen fuel cell technology and the manufacturing center. Northwest UAV President and Owner Chris Harris kicked off the event with welcoming everyone and touching on what has made this technology and the growth of NWUAV possible…

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June 29, 2021 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV, America’s unmanned industry leader, is pleased to announce the addition of Troy Boonstra to their executive leadership team. Troy has been tasked to lead NWUAV’s engineering team as well as product strategy, engineering planning and execution. As a key member of the leadership team, he is responsible for guiding internal research and development and cross functional execution to support strategic investments, technology expansion, and new product development.

“Troy has an extensive background and direct experience in leading diverse, globally-based engineering teams. This skillset, coupled with Troy’s ability to strategically drive innovation in technology and product development as it relates to the wide expanse of aerospace systems, makes him a great fit with our team,” said Chris Harris, President and Owner of Northwest UAV. “Troy understands the dichotomy between unmanned systems of the past and what the industry will demand in the future as technologies in components like sensors, hydrogen fuel cells and heavy fuel capabilities expand.”…

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February 20, 2021 | McMinnville, OR: Through a cooperative agreement, NWUAV and NRL have successfully completed a hydrogen fuel cell prototype designed specifically for the high power-to-weight ratio and harsh operational requirements of unmanned systems. After a successful first operational test, NWUAV and NRL plan further developments to their hydrogen fuel cell prototype, with a test flight slated for later this year.

“It is very gratifying to turn research sustained by the Office of Naval Research into a commercial product,“ said Dr. Karen Swider-Lyons, Director of the Laboratory of Autonomous Systems Research at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. “With new manufacturing support from the Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program and a cooperative agreement we are creating a new generation of aerial propulsion technology that will greatly advance the capabilities of our warfighters.“…

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September 15, 2020 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV (NWUAV) has partnered with Hirth Engines (Hirth) as distributor for North and Central America. With a dedication to leading the market in aviation propulsion technologies and high-quality service, Hirth Engines found Northwest UAV’s capabilities, facility, and vision to be the perfect fit to assist future growth in sales and support.

Acknowledged globally for industry-leading expertise and innovation, Hirth Engines has been developing aviation technology for over 90 years. They have earned their reputation as market leaders who provide proven technologies and superior service. With engines that support a variety of aviation platforms, from UAVs to hovercraft, ultralights, and helicopters, Hirth Engines offers the UAV market aviation solutions that will expand on the current propulsion solutions that NWUAV offers…

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March 16, 2020 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV has partnered with Inertial Labs to add their best in class positioning, navigation, and orientation technologies to NWUAV’s impressive list of UAS technologies and services. Maintaining a constant focus on providing the highest quality, Inertial Labs offers the best value, smallest, most accurate, and lowest power consumption products. This philosophy of product design and development perfectly aligns with Northwest UAV’s commitment to providing the highest quality and best value building blocks for the unmanned industry.

“We’re proud of the reputation we’ve built in the UAS industry for providing the most reliable, cost-effective, and high-performance UAS solutions,” explained Jeff Ratcliffe, NWUAV Chief Technical Officer. “As we build on our history of providing UAV propulsion system solutions, we are expanding our strategy and becoming America’s one-stop UAV shop. We’re being very diligent to ensure that all of the products and services we offer integrate seamlessly with our other products and services and are consistent with our hard-earned reputation for the highest level of performance, quality, and service.”…

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October 9, 2019 | McMinnville, OR: The Northwest UAV NW-44 Heavy-Fuel Engine has reached the noteworthy milestone of logging over 21,000 operational hours. With an innovative design that focuses on maintainability, Northwest UAV’s NW-44 UAV Engine has developed a reputation for being the UAV industry’s reliable, cost effective propulsion solution.

Purpose-built for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that require high reliability and easy maintainability, the NW-44 Engine (pictured on a test stand with a new muffler design) is a lightweight, multi-fuel UAV engine. The NW-44 is a complete turn-key engine system designed to be a COTS solution for Tier II UAVs (40-75 lbs). Its innovative design virtually eliminates development costs, saving customers millions of dollars and several years stuck in the engineering development cycle. The milestone of 21,000 operational hours clearly speaks to the NW-44 Engine’s reliability, and in a less apparent way, its maintainability.

“Traditionally, engines for the Tier II UAV weight class are built to be throw-away engines,” said Jeff Ratcliffe, Chief Technical Officer of NWUAV.  “That means they are not likely designed and built for 10-15-hour days at 45°C (like the NW-44 Engine), rather they’re built for a few hours at the local airfield — on a nice day. While we understand why OEM’s initially use low-cost foreign-made engines …

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September 9, 2019 | McMinnville, OR: With FAA’s Terry Wilmeth and Rich Davis along with University of Alaska Fairbanks representatives Jimmy Parrish, Tom Elmer and Nick Adkins, Northwest UAV’s Flight, Analysis, and System Test (FAST) UAV Range completed its inaugural flight Wednesday, September 4th. The Certificate of Authorization (COA) obtained by the University of Alaska Fairbanks allows Northwest UAV to operate its own test range under the Pan-Pacific UAS Complex. The range facilitates flights up to 4,000 feet in a 5 nautical mile radius of airspace just 12 miles south of NWUAV’s main campus, which offers a variety of UAV products and services.

The FAST Range inaugural flight was performed Wednesday, September 4th by Tim Klein of Klein Engineering, who flew a DJI Phantom Drone for the day but traditionally designs and builds hexrotors to complete power line and log line pulling, as well as offers a variety of UAV mapping and photography services in the Willamette Valley. The DJI Drone flew over 500 feet in a 1 nautical mile radius of airspace while Northwest UAV FSO David Jackson monitored the flight from the ground.…

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June 17, 2019 | McMinnville, OR: In just a few months the NW-44 Heavy-Fuel Engine has added over 500 flights to its logbooks, bringing its combat flight total to 1500 flights. As the purpose-built engine continues to soar, Northwest UAV is proud to see the Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solution providing warfighters and commercial operators with the best propulsion system in the small UAV category.

A complete turn-key, Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) engine system designed for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS), the NW-44 Engine is a lightweight, heavy-fuel engine that performs better on every metric than any other competitive solution. This has become the standard heavy-fuel solution for the UAV marketplace. The NW-44 supports aircraft in the category of 40-80 lb (18-35 kg) Max Gross Takeoff Weight (MGTOW). This Aviation Grade combat proven, reliable, extremely quiet propulsion system s currently supporting the military’s Tier II UAV sector  and the FAA’s 55 lb weight class UAS and has gained more  and more industry interest …

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April 30, 2019 | McMinnville, OR: The NW-88 heavy fuel twin-cylinder UAV engine is set to fill mission gaps in the maturing UAS industry, much like the NW-44 UAV Engine has done before it. The aviation grade NW-88 engine is designed to offer endurance and reliability gains to Group III UAVs in the 75-150 pound weight class, which are increasingly being used for commercial and military purposes. “We noticed as the popularity of the NW-44 engine grew, that Group III UAVs in the 75-150-pound weight class were experiencing the same endurance and reliability issues …”

NW-88 UAV Engine 24x12 Propeller Graph | Metric Static Operation

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February 27, 2019 | McMinnville, OR: Just over a year ago Northwest UAV announced that the NW-44 Multi-Fuel Engine had reached the noteworthy milestone of logging over 1000 combat flight hours. Today, that same engine line has flown over 10,000 flight hours and has logged over 1000 flights. As the NW-44 engine soars, Northwest UAV is hard at work at home, adding manufacturing and office space to their campus as they look to the future of unmanned aircraft systems.

Purpose-built for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) that require extreme endurance and high reliability, the NW-44 Engine is a lightweight, multi-fuel UAV engine that has been designed and built to be easily adaptable, meeting the most challenging mission requirements. The NW-44 is a complete turn-key engine system designed to be the Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solution that virtually eliminates development costs for the OEM, saving customers millions of dollars …

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January 10, 2019 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV has partnered with Embention to offer the most advanced and user-friendly avionics systems in the industry. Veronte is the pilot’s choice for advanced professional UAV and Unmanned Vehicle Control. The Veronte Autopilots are an ideal addition to Northwest UAV’s growing list of product offerings. As the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) industry continues to grow rapidly, Northwest UAV works hard to continue to identify and promote modular building blocks for the unmanned systems that complement their own propulsion systems and other offered services.

“We have developed a strong reputation for providing the most reliable, maintainable, and cost-effective high-performance propulsion systems,” explained Jeff Ratcliffe, NWUAV Chief Technical Officer. “We are continuing to expand that to other modular building block components for the UAV industry. UAS developers have come to trust our recommendations for components for their UAV, often reaching out to ask us which systems we would recommend. We are very selective about the companies and components that we endorse, and even more selective about what we distribute …”

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November 1, 2018 | McMinnville, OR: Northwest UAV (NWUAV), the largest UAV propulsion system manufacturer in the U.S., has successfully completed the first phase towards Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 14 CFR Part 21 Type Certification in support of the NW44 type certification program.

Members of the FAA team, which comprised FAA Flight Standards (AC-AW), AIR UAS Programs and Procedures Division, AIR Policy & Innovation Division and the Engine Directorate, came together on October 16th and 17th at NWUAV headquarters in McMinnville, Oregon for the first gated certification process in collaboration with the FAA.

NWUAV clearly presented its advanced captures of 14 CFR 33 and 35 data, the process for Risk Assessment utilizing Safety Management principals founded in current Part 5 regulatory basis and the ability to transition to ISO based production capability …

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September 18, 2018 | McMinnville, OR: After beginning the program early this year and producing a concept prototype just this May, Northwest UAV is proud to announce the completion of the first test runs on its newest engine, the NW-88 multi-fuel twin-cylinder UAV engine.

Following the successes of the NW-44 engine, the NW-88 multi-fuel twin-cylinder UAV engine is set to fill other mission gaps in the maturing UAS industry. The NW-88 engine is designed to offer endurance and reliability to Group III UAVs …

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April 23, 2018 | McMinnville, OR: From initial design through development and manufacturing, Northwest UAV created the NW-44 multi-fuel single-cylinder UAV engine to fill a gap that owner and president Chris Harris recognized in the market — reliable, fuel-efficient engines for small, professional-grade UAVs. As a proven engine with over 1000 combat flight hours logged …

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McMinnville, Oregon April 18, 2017 | In just a few years, from concept to first flight, the Northwest UAV NW-44 Multi-Fuel Engine has reached the noteworthy milestone of logging over 1000 combat flight hours. This milestone demonstrates the unique value the NW-44 Engine and Northwest UAV team bring to the unmanned aerial systems community.

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McMinnville, Oregon December 16, 2015 | Northwest UAV (NWUAV), the largest manufacturer of UAV propulsion systems, announced today that it has formed a distributorship agreement with NASAM, a Greenwich Aerogroup Company. The agreement includes the distribution of NWUAV’s NW-44 UAV propulsion system, components, and services to the Japanese market. Under this agreement NASAM will be the primary provider of products, services, and support in Japan, and will strengthen NWUAV’s position as a global company.

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McMinnville, Oregon, August 21, 2015 | Northwest UAV (NWUAV) is pleased to announce the completion of over 100 hours of rigorous flight testing with the NW-44 engine, setting a new altitude record for small normally aspirated unmanned propulsion systems in the process. The engine performed very well and exceeded expectations on every metric, especially on performance and fuel economy. said NWUAV President and Owner Chris Harris. The aircraft flew a typical mission profile (twelve hours of operation) consuming less than five liters of heavy fuel. A lot of effort went into eliminating weight and parasitic drag in the design, which pays dividends for our customers in mission endurance.

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McMinnville, Oregon May 5, 2015 | One look is all it takes to realize the TD100 Unmanned Aircraft System is different. Every aspect of this meticulous machine looks and feels like a real aircraft, and that’s because it is one. In an industry where off-the-shelf systems are being promoted as breakthroughs, where hobbyist parts are being cobbled together and labelled “UAS” — the TD100 comes with an unparalleled pedigree, thanks to Brian Eggleston and Brian McLuckie of Brican.

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