Heavy Fuel Engine 2.0 Provides 40% Service Life Boost

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) finalized qualification testing of its new 200-hp Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) on November 13. HFE 2.0 aims to serve as a reliable, low-maintenance replacement for the US Army’s Gray Eagle 25M.

The three-week round of qualification tests were conducted at GA-ASI’s flight facility in El Mirage, California. They followed FAA endurance test requirements geared towards commercial aviation power plants.

HFE 2.0 has also been performing durability tests over the past 18 months. This included 2,450 full power cycles to simulate high-stress conditions under test profiles of 200, 400, and 651 hours at a time. Additionally, the engine completed 50 hours of flight testing.

“This test is the culmination of the extensive durability and flight test program for the HFE 2.0 engine,” expressed GA-ASI President David Alexander. “It’s been great to see the outstanding test results that have validated the design and development of the HFE 2.0 engine we have worked on so passionately for the past seven years and to bring this world-class engine to the Gray Eagle fleet.”

HFE 2.0 provides a 40 percent increase in service life, allowing it to fly for longer periods before requiring maintenance. GA-ASI worked with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems to design its dual brushless generator as a drop-in replacement for the existing generator. This delivers upwards of 50 percent more electrical power.

The engine is specifically built to meet the needs of military Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) with GA-ASI’s new Gray Eagle 25M (GE 25M). GA-ASI will now be working with the Army to certify HFE 2.0 with the current Gray Eagle Extended Range UAS. It will hopefully replace the aging 180-horsepower engine.

GA-ASI’s GE 25M took its first flight in December 2023. The US Army National Guard purchased 12 of the unmanned aerial systems in May using funds from the 2023 congressional budget.

FMI: www.ga-asi.com