Northwest UAV NW-44 Multi-Fuel Engine Supports Elbit’s Skylark™ 3 Hybrid Demonstration for RAF

Leveraging the endurance and energy efficiency of the NW-44 Engine, the Elbit Systems Skylark™ 3 Hybrid UAS successfully demonstrated how it can support RAF achieve its ambitions for future capabilities.

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 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.

The Skylark’s twin-engine architecture provides redundancy in propulsion for safety and reliability. The system leverages the energy efficiency and endurance of the NW-44 to rapidly reach altitude, while offering the opportunity to employ only the electric motor for sustained flight. This makes the Skylark 3 Hybrid highly energy efficient and environmentally responsible without sacrificing crucial capabilities the RAF will continue to require for future missions.

The use of hybrid solutions is a critical path to support future operations on the battlefield, and the NW-44 is the perfect propulsion system for this application. We are proud to be a part of this important technology demonstration to the RAF. Purpose-built to be a complete turn-key engine system solution, the NW-44 is a lightweight, multi-fuel UAV engine that delivers ease of integration and supports worldwide expeditionary operations. Its innovative modular design makes it lightweight and easy to maintain, increasing its endurance, fuel efficiency, and lifespan, which reduces a NW-44 supported aircraft’s environmental impact. With over 28,000 operational hours logged, the NW-44 has proven to be a reliable, maintainable power system that is easily configured to integrate with a variety of Tier II UAVs (40-75 pounds).

by BRIAN RUSSELL, Sr. Director of Business Development & Tech Development, Northwest UAV

The Skylark 3 Hybrid, based on the Skylark family of STUAS, is optimized for dismounted or vehicle-based operation. Featuring a 15.4ft wingspan, a maximum take-off weight of 110lbs, a service ceiling of 12,000 feet, and a range of 74.5 miles, the Skylark 3 Hybrid is designed to be a field-deployed tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) UAV. Its twin-engine architecture offers built-in reliability with the capability to sustain flight on one power system and the endurance that longer missions require.

The NW-44 multi-fuel engine will be on display in Booth 1629 at AUVSI XPONENTIAL April 25-28 in Orlando, Florida. See the NW-44 alongside NWUAV’s other propulsion system solutions — the NW-88 multi-fuel engine, the NWFC-1500 Hydrogen propulsion system, and the new NW-230 multi-fuel engine in development.