Propulsion companies manoeuvre as demand for unmanned platforms grows

Rolls-Royce's Orpheus small engine concept for combat air systems on a test stand. (Rolls-Royce)

Industry is mobilising to meet growing military requirements for lower-cost munitions and unmanned platforms. In the propulsion field, several companies announced new engines for such systems in recent months. Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) platforms around the world have attracted particular attention.

The US focus is on the air force's CCA Increment 1 programme with General Atomics' YFQ-42 and Anduril's YFQ-44 platforms. These air vehicles have propulsion systems but “the big question, frankly, for industry and propulsion is, what happens with the Increment 1 solutions. Are they the final solution? … what operational capability do they deliver?” Kaare Erickson, senior vice-president of strategic campaigns for combat and strategic systems at Rolls-Royce North America, told Janes on 23 September during the Air & Space Forces Association's (AFA's) Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

“At the same time, the air force has said, we're going to experiment … we're going to test and develop it and figure out what works and what doesn't, but we're launching Increment 2 in parallel,” he added.

Rolls-Royce customers are trying to understand where the air force is headed. “The question will come down to balancing speed of delivery, cost, and mission capability. Each choice presents different trade space and in the propulsion world drives us in many different directions. At Rolls-Royce we are actively exploring this trade space and looking to leverage the engines and capabilities around us to provide the best balance,” Erickson said.