Gray Eagle 25M heavy fuel engine completes final qualification test
NewsNovember 20, 2024
SAN DIEGO, California. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) completed the final qualification test for its 200-horsepower Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) 2.0 at the company's El Mirage, California, flight facility, the company announced in a statement.
The HFE 2.0 engine, designed for the Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aerial system (UAS), underwent a three-week qualification process that adhered to Federal Aviation Administration endurance test standards (FAA 14 CFR 33.49), the statement reads. Over the past 18 months, the engine completed durability testing, including 2,450 full power cycles and flight testing spanning 50 hours across its performance envelope.
The engine features a 40% longer service life and higher electrical output to support payloads for multi-domain operations, the company says. GA-ASI developed the engine in collaboration with General Atomics Europe, propulsion technology firm Cosworth, and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, which contributed a dual brushless generator designed to reduce maintenance and increase power delivery.
The HFE 2.0 will be submitted for U.S. Army certification to replace older engines in the Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE ER) fleet and serve as the primary propulsion system for the modernized Gray Eagle 25M, the statement reads.
