Heavy Fuel Operations Borne Out for Multi-Mission Uncrewed Aircraft

AeroVironment pulled off a demonstration of its JUMP 20 uncrewed aircraft system using a heavy fuel engine, expanding the capabilities and interoperability of the platform in the world of military logistics.

The firm successfully bore out the utility of the JUMP 20 with the 'heavy fuel' engine, a more omnivorous little mill that allows the aircraft to run on a wider range of fuels. In the world of US military operations, the most ubiquitous flavor is JP-5/8 (akin to Jet A in the civilian world), available in quantity, stable, and affordable compared to high-octane aviation gasoline. The Marines, for example, love using JP fuels so much they made sure their recon motorbikes could run on the kerosene-based fuel, too. The JUMP 20 now sports more than 13 hours of endurance and an operational range of 115 miles thanks to its purpose-built engine. The new powerplant saves weight and requires fewer overhauls throughout its lifespan, while still providing easy ignition and auto-start capability for simple operations.

“The addition of a heavy fuel engine to the JUMP 20 provides global forces an unparalleled VTOL solution with a longer operational lifespan, greater performance and efficient fuel consumption. It is well suited for land and sea domains where available fuel sources could be dictated by the respective logistics support plan,” said Shane Hastings, AV’s vice president and general manager of Medium UAS. “Heavy fuel compatibility continues to be a strong requirement for many customers, and we’ve made great strides in making our proven JUMP 20 fully compliant with these requirements.”

“With successful test flights under our belt, AV is excited to continue system testing and further optimizing JUMP 20 with heavy fuel capabilities. This milestone further demonstrates AV’s ability to deliver highly mature and reliable systems capable of working in the most extreme environmental conditions,” continued Hastings.

FMI: www.avinc.com