Its Offerings Are Lighter, Cleaner, and Now Pushing Past 1,000nm on SAF Jet Fuel

DeltaHawk’s diesel-powered aircraft lineup has seen incredible upgrades over the last few years. Not only has the company worked its design into three new planes, but it has also given its original Cirrus SR-20 a dramatic boost in performance and efficiency through an extensive refinement process… and the team says they’re not done yet.

The SR-20 test bed has been around since 2013. A dozen years of R&D later, the aircraft is now posting more than 1,000 nautical miles of range with reserves while burning nearly 40% less fuel than a standard avgas-powered engine, putting it into competitive territory for real-world operators.

A major part of the progress came from aggressive weight reduction. By redesigning oil and coolant lines, downsizing coolers, switching to lighter composites, and reworking the oil tank, DeltaHawk cut more than 200 pounds from the installation. The company is now preparing to shift into its new 400-series engine block, shedding even more weight and bumping output to 200 hp instead of 180.

DeltaHawk also brought its RV-14 conversion into Oshkosh for the first time earlier this year. Naeve said the installation heavily leaned on lessons learned from the SR-20 program, making it a “fun project” and an encouraging sign for future efforts.

Twin-engine programs are moving forward as well. The V-Twin is receiving updated 300-series 180/200-hp engines, and DeltaHawk expects it back in the air within a year. Along with the Seminole conversion, that will make two multi-engine platforms flying behind DeltaHawk power.

“What we’ve been working so hard for, for many decades — it’s really cool to finally see it come to fruition,” said Connor Naeve, Test Operations Manager and Flight Test Pilot for Deltahawk.

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