Ουσιαστική εξέλιξη για την Orbital UAV και για το μη επανδρωμένο εναέριο όχημα Textron Aerosonde UAV, αποτελεί η παράδοση του πρωτότυπου κινητήρα των 150 εκατοστών στο ομώνυμο UAV…

“…Orbital UAV has achieved the first major milestone in its engine development program for the Textron Aerosonde UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) with the delivery of an initial prototype for evaluation. The prototype engine was delivered to Lycoming Engines, a subsidiary of Textron. Delivery of this early core engine represents a key step in the 12-month development program, and comes shortly after the initial contract confirmation and program kick-off. Lycoming will now assess the engine to inform further integration and design customisation requirements. The goal of the program is to integrate an Orbital UAV-designed 150cc core engine, including proprietary fuel and engine control systems, into Textron Systems’ Aerosonde platform...”