Ukrainian design bureau develops pulsejet engine for interceptor drones
Engineers from the Nezalezhne (Independent) Design Bureau have unveiled prototypes of the Hrim-17 pulsejet engine, which will be installed on various types of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Source: a developer of the engine in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda at the Brave1 Components exhibition in Kyiv
Details: The company first designed and manufactured a pulsejet engine. It weighs 2 kg and produces 6 kg of thrust. This makes it suitable for use on small fixed-wing UAVs.
The pulsejet engine during tests on a fixed-wing UAV. Photo: Nezalezhne Design Bureau
The engine's operating time is 15 minutes. During this period, it can cover up to 100 km, although the exact parameters will be confirmed by final tests. The developers aim to achieve a speed of 450 km/h.
The engine is made of stainless steel and has an aluminium fairing. The cost of one Hrim-17 will not exceed US$800. This price covers the engine, ten replacement valves, an automatic fuel system and a ground ignition system.
Dmytro, a representative of the Nezalezhne Design Bureau, stresses that while designing and calculating the parameters needed to produce such an engine takes considerable time, these types of products can be rapidly scaled for manufacturing. Moreover, the materials required to build the power unit are readily available in Ukraine.
After completing the engine, the developers moved on to designing and producing a drone. This led to the creation of the Myt-2 UAV. The engineers initially tested it with a standard electric motor and are now working on integrating the Hrim-17 engine.
Dmytro says the characteristics of their aircraft are optimal for creating a UAV interceptor against jet-powered Shahed loitering munitions.
At present, the company's engineers are conducting flight tests of their pulsejet engine and drone. This is one of the most challenging stages in developing the technology and requires constant refinement.
Background: At Brave1 Components, Varta, a Ukrainian company, unveiled a modular hard-kill system for engaging aerial targets at close range. Mounted on a drone, the system opens fire on enemy UAVs as soon as they close in.
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