Innovation Preview Review Of Jet Fuel Based Two-Cylinder Engine (MOSAIC, anyone?)
Christopher Ruud, chief executive officer of DeltaHawk, discussed the new engines the company is building at the Aero-News Innovation Preview and will be showing at their booth at SUN ‘n FUN in Lakeland, Florida.
The company is releasing the tooling for its six cylinder, 350-horsepower, compression-ignition engine designed to run on jet fuel. It is also beginning production of the four-cylinder version, and contacting reservation holders of specific air frames to turn those reservations into orders. Ruud also highlighted the company’s agreement with Piper for the DeltaHawk powered Piper Seminole with counter-rotating props. He also discussed Mosaic and the DHK 2H Engine Series 80HP, 100HP, and 120HP 2-cylinder, horizontally opposed twin, 2-stroke, compression ignition and the fuel compatibility with Jet-A, Jet-A1, JP5, JP8, SAF and #2 diesel.
Ruud also announced the formation of DeltaHawk Defense, a dedicated division focused on propulsion solutions for drone, uncrewed, and unmanned aerial systems. In response to the industry’s strong demand and the DoD Directive 4140.25 for a one-fuel solution, DeltaHawk Defense will dedicate a focused effort. Also extremely important to the defense sector, all DeltaHawk propulsion systems are 100% designed, manufactured, and IP is owned in the United States.
As part of this launch, DeltaHawk Defense is introducing new lightweight engine platforms in the 50 HP and 100/120 HP class, purpose-built to meet the evolving needs of military, government, and commercial UAS applications. This effort reflects DeltaHawk’s agility in rapidly adapting to emerging operational requirements and delivering affordable, U.S.-based propulsion solutions in support of Department of War priorities. The new engines leverage DeltaHawk’s proven JP-5/JP-8/Jet-A/SAF-capable architecture, offering improved fuel efficiency, simplified mechanical design, and enhanced reliability for extended-duration and mission-critical operations while adhering to the DoW’s one-fuel mandate.“Demand for affordable, U.S.-built propulsion in autonomous systems is here now,” Ruud said. “DeltaHawk is purpose-built to meet that demand with scalable, production-ready solutions to ensure the U.S. maintains a decisive edge in future conflicts.”
With increasing demand for heavy-fuel propulsion solutions in unmanned aviation and other sectors, DeltaHawk Defense will continue to focus on supporting a wide range of applications. The scalable engine platforms are designed to integrate across multiple airframes while maintaining the company’s core advantages of fuel flexibility and reduced complexity. DeltaHawk’s production-ready approach and modular engine architecture enable rapid integration and provide a strong foundation for partnerships across the defense and aerospace ecosystem. And, yes, the DH two-cylinder series has designs on MOSAIC implementations. The Rotax 914UL is 115HP and is 22.7” wide x 20.2” tall x 26.1” long. The dry weight is approximately 155lbs with Turbo, Carburetors. Prop centerline to top of engine is 4.5”. The initial package for the DHK2H is 80 ~ 120HP and is 31.1” wide x 20.3” tall x 23.5” long. The dry weight is approximately 160lbs with Turbo, Fuel Injection. Prop centerline to top of engine is 11.1”.
