Ukraine Begins Production of Turbojet Engines for Drones
A Ukrainian-Australian company has launched the production of turbojet engines for drones, missiles, and guided bombs in Ukraine.
The Australian partners developed the engines, and the Ukrainian firm invested its own funds in their production. The joint venture showcased its products at the Brave1 Components exhibition in Kyiv. The manufacturer has introduced two turbojet engines. They are already undergoing flight tests.
The first, smaller one, was designed for interceptor drones. It can carry 10-15 kilograms and consumes about 350 milliliters of fuel per minute.
The second, larger one, was created for installation on reusable interceptor drones, kamikazes, small cruise missiles, and for use as boosters to increase the range of guided aerial bombs.
The joint venture plans to expand the line to two more engines. One will be an intermediate model between the existing models, and the other will be the largest in the line - it will allow for increased payload weight or increased flight range.
The plant in Ukraine can already mass-produce both engine models. To do this, the company has purchased equipment and mastered modern production technology.
The Ukrainian company produces engine housings and combustion chambers from stainless steel. When designing this chamber, it consisted of 38 different components that had to be manufactured separately. But thanks to the new technology, the company is able to immediately receive a finished product, which has significantly accelerated and reduced the cost of production.
The production of all aluminum parts for engines was also localized in Ukraine.
The company is currently working on localizing turbine production. Currently, this product is supplied by several foreign companies, which partially limits the production of engines.
Two more imported components in the engine are the control board and a small starter motor that runs for the first 10 seconds to create air flow and start the main unit. Currently, the developers are looking for manufacturers who would undertake the production of these components in Ukraine.
Source: Obronka
