Ewatt Develops New Light But Powerful UAV Engines

The new Ewatt engine is designed to be modular, and expandable into multi-cylinder versions to produce more horsepower. Each cylinder has 188cc displacement, developing 22 horsepower at 7500 RPM, making the single-cylinder version a powerful alternative at under 7 kilograms to other engines on the market.

Mr. Fetters requirements was that the engines be easily adaptable to multiple applications. Therefore unique features were designed into the engine, such as the ability to change only the timing and run the engine clockwise or counterclockwise, or take power off ether end of the crankshaft, and the cylinders can be rotated so the exhaust ports can be on the opposite sides, or one on each side from the other, if needed. “Versatility as well as reliability is the key”, Mr. Fetters said.

“Who owns the engines rules the industry”, as claimed by Mr. Fetters. He says Rotax rules the homebuilt and LSA aircraft industry because they are the providers for 99% of the engines. Aircraft manufacturers are limited to the aircraft they can design by the limitations of the engines available to them. Mr. Fetters says; “It’s the same in the UAV industry, and since it is Ewatt Aerospace’s intention to lead that industry, we have to be in the position to control the quality and size of the engines to be consumed”.

“For our smaller helicopters we import smaller engines from Europe, and have no need to change, but we have decided to develop or own engines for our larger UAV’s yet to come”, Mr. Fetters said. “After experiencing engines for light-UAV uses and their lack of availability, low quality and high costs, is what prompted me to present the possibility to our Company C.E.O. Mr Zhao for his approval”, Mr. Fetters said. After many sessions of negotiations and working together to achieve a usable engine design, Mr. Zhao gave the order to establish the new Ewatt Engine Development Center in Italy headed my Mr. Guido Polidoro and Mr. Luca Casagrande.

The new Ewatt engines will first be used in the latest UAV helicopters that Mr. Fetters’ skunk-works design team are now conjuring up, but Ewatt will make the engines available to other companies that require reliable light-weight power for manned or unmanned vehicles that fly, roll or float.