Ukraine starts producing turbojet engines for drones, missiles and aerial bombs. PHOTOS
Ukraine has launched serial production of turbojet engines for drones, missiles and guided aerial bombs as part of a Ukrainian-Australian project. The company has already presented two models and is working to expand the product line.
This was reported by Oboronka, Censor.NET notes.
The engines were designed by Australian partners, while a Ukrainian company invested its own funds in setting up production. The joint venture showcased its products at the Brave1 Components exhibition in Kyiv.
Oboronka does not disclose the company’s name for security reasons.
Two engine models: for interceptors, missiles and aerial bombs
The manufacturer has presented two turbojet engines, which are already undergoing flight tests.
- The first, smaller engine was developed for interceptor drones. It can carry a payload of 10–15 kilograms and consumes about 350 millilitres of fuel per minute.
A small turbojet engine with 11 kgf thrust for interceptor drones / Oboronka
- The second, larger engine was designed to be mounted on reusable interceptor drones, loitering munitions, small cruise missiles, and to be used as a booster to increase the range of guided aerial bombs.
The joint venture plans to expand the line with two more engines. One will be an intermediate model between the existing ones, while the other will be the largest in the range, allowing for either greater payload weight or increased flight range.
A turbojet engine with 40 kgf thrust for aerial bombs, missiles and reusable interceptor drones / Oboronka
Future plans: expanding the product line and full localisation of components
The plant in Ukraine is already capable of serially producing both engine models. To this end, the company has purchased equipment and mastered a modern production technology.
At the Ukrainian facility, the engine casings and combustion chambers are manufactured from stainless steel. When this chamber was first designed, it consisted of 38 separate components that had to be produced individually. Thanks to the new technology, the company can now obtain a finished part in one go, which has significantly sped up and reduced the cost of production.
Production of all aluminium parts for the engines has also been localised in Ukraine.
The company is now working to localise production of the turbine. At present, this component is supplied by several foreign companies, which partly limits engine output.
There are two more imported components in the engine – the control board and a small starter motor that runs for the first 10 seconds to create an airflow and start the main unit. The developers are currently looking for manufacturers willing to set up production of these components in Ukraine.
