German UAS engine manufacturer Sky Power GmbH is now offering a series of new engines in different performance classes. The new portfolio of drone motors ranges from small single-cylinder engines based on carburetor technology to two-cylinder engines with carburetor or fuel injection systems.

"This is an important step for our young, but experienced company,” said Karl Schudt, CEO of Sky Power. “We have incorporated more than 30 years of experience … into developing efficient, reliable and powerful engines.”

The company’s engines are bundled into families: engines of different design and manifold fields are grouped into various cubic centimeter classes. Only the SP-28 is available in just one version, as it is the smallest single-cylinder engine in the portfolio. This engine is equipped with a carburetor and has an improved cylinder design for better thermal stability. Later this year, the engine will be offered with Sky Power’s new ignition system, SP-IGU.

All other engines in the Sky Power portfolio are provided with two spark plugs. "With the SP-28, this is not possible due to the small cylinder volume of 28 ccm," Schudt said. Therefore, the next larger single-cylinder engine is provided with two spark plugs. The SP-55 series, with 55 cubic centimeters (ccm), can be operated both with a carburetor as well as with an injection system. Both the carburetor and the injection system are positioned at the side of the crankcase and inject directly into it. As a result, a generator or starter generator can be positioned on the rear exposed drive shaft, which enables a very compact design of the engine. In addition, the engine is equipped with ignition and fuel injection systems.

Several versions of Sky Power’s newest engine type, the HF, will be available soon.

The entire engine portfolio can be used for hybrid operations. "What kind of generator power and other subsystems are necessary depends on the customer’s application,” Schudt said. “Because of this, we presented our engine kit last year, which gives the customer an overview of the different options. Ultimately almost every engine leaves our production in a different configuration, dependent on the customer’s needs.”

Sky Power engines can be paired with system carriers, which serve as mounts for ignition electronics, allowing for efficient integration with aircraft subsystems.

Sky Power’s latest engines and accessories will be on display at AUVSI’s Xponential 2019 in Chicago, April 29-May 2.