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Credit: Steve Trimble/Aviation Week Network
DUBAI—Powertech recently completed the preliminary design of a 1,200 lb.-thrust (550 kg-thrust) turbofan engine less than a year after parent company Edge Group launched the in-house aviation propulsion company, an executive said on Nov. 19.
The UAE company now plans to deliver the first X550 engine to test by the end of 2027 and launch series production a year later, Powertech CEO Marian Lubieniecki said in an interview at Dubai Airshow.
The initial version of the X550 engine is aimed at powering disposable cruise missiles and drones, but the design includes a path to reusable applications, such as longer lifecycles drones, Lubieniecki said.
Completing the 1,200-lb-thrust engine also opens the door to designing more powerful turbofans in the future. The over 4-ton Jeniah uncrewed combat air vehicle is now designed to be powered by an Ivchenko-Progress AI-222 turbofan, but it could be re-engined by Powertech in the future.
“This is all on the table for our technology roadmap,” Lubieniecki said.
Powertech is not yet revealing the configuration of the X550 engine core as work continues into the critical design phase. But the company’s philosophy is to optimize the core for the non-human-rated applications, with the goal of reducing cost and complexity for drones and missiles.
“When you focus on unmanned applications, then you can optimize your design for this application,” Lubieniecki said. “Give me something cheap and dirty, but works most of the time. Then we can scale this, and then we can be price-competitive.”
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