UAV Propulsion Tech continues to elevate unmanned aircraft performance by connecting U.S. integrators with advanced European propulsion manufacturers.
While payloads and airframes often dominate design discussions, propulsion remains the defining factor behind mission endurance, capability, and operational reliability. Through partnerships with Suter Industries/CAE GmbH, Plettenberg, and AMT Micro Turbines, the company delivers a comprehensive suite of combustion, electric, and turbine solutions tailored to demanding defense and commercial UAS programs.
A modern propulsion system extends far beyond the engine itself. Powerplants must simultaneously keep aircraft airborne and generate electrical power for avionics and mission systems. Integrated engine management systems track thermal and pressure parameters in real time, optimizing performance and fuel consumption. At the airframe interface, vibration-damping engine mounts protect sensitive sensors, while carefully selected propeller configurations shape both thrust efficiency and acoustic signatures, critical considerations for ISR platforms and other low-observability missions.
UAV Propulsion Tech’s combustion offerings from Suter/CAE combine racing-derived engineering with aerospace-grade manufacturing. The lineup ranges from the baseline TOA288 to heavy-fuel SDI variants engineered for Jet-A1, JP5, and JP8. All models feature automatic altitude and temperature compensation and undergo 100% acceptance testing in Switzerland.
On the electric side, Plettenberg delivers EN 9100-certified motors, ESCs, starter-generator systems, and fully customized solutions for rugged environments and specialized power demands. Complementing these is AMT’s high-thrust micro turbine family, whose axial-flow architecture offers exceptional thrust-to-weight ratios for high-speed UAV and cUAV applications.
Together, these capabilities position UAV Propulsion Tech as a critical propulsion integrator for next-generation unmanned systems.
