Ukrainian company SCOPA Industries develops pulsejet engine for strike drones

Ukrainian company SCOPA Industries has been developing the Shepit ("Whisper") pulsejet engine for integration into unmanned aerial vehicles and is preparing it for flight tests.

Source: Oboronka, a project of Mezha Media, a technology and IT news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company

Details: A company representative told Oboronka that the engine is intended for mid-range strike drones but its use could be expanded in the future. Because of its cost, the engine could also be fitted to decoy targets to distract Russian air defence.

The engine has a thrust of 18 kg. Developers expect a speed of about 500 km/h and a flight range of up to 200 km. The Shepit uses 95-octane petrol as fuel.

The engine is made of stainless steel. Components and materials for assembly are produced in Ukraine. The cost of one engine is just US$1,000. This includes the engine, fuel system and ignition system.

SCOPA Industries has received a grant from Brave1, a Ukrainian defence-tech cluster, which has been directed towards developing a remote engine start system.

Oborontsi previously reported on the development in Ukraine of the Hrim-17 jet engine, which is planned for use in interceptor drones targeting jet-powered Shahed drones.

Background: Oboronka has reported earlier that Ukrainian engineers have unveiled prototypes of the Hrim-17 pulsejet engine, a UAV interceptor against jet-powered Shahed loitering munitions.

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