US-based Ricardo is developing a new family of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) engines called Wolverine for civilian and military applications.
The first engine, the Ricardo Wolverine 3, will power lightweight aircraft and use military-spec heavy fuels.
Wolverine 3 is a 3.1hp, two-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled engine with spark ignition and direct fuel injection.
Ricardo is studying plans to develop Wolverine engines to power UAVs with heavier payloads, increased ranges and greater endurance requirements.
The engines first fire test was successfully completed on a dynamometer test stand in early May 2010.
Wolverine 3 will next be installed on a small tactical UAV for its first flight, which is due for later this year.
