ENGINE ALTERNATIVE – May 29, 2020
The Switchblade is set up for flight testing with a heavily modified Motus V4 engine to produce 200 hp. A good business rule is to have more than one source for any key component. For this reason, we have been extensively researching alternative engines for some time. We have very specific engine requirements, being a dual use vehicle.
Our top pick is the Rotax 1630 ACE engine used in the personal watercraft industry. Their application demands an engine that can take the pounding generated by high speeds over waves, and the 1630 comes stock as a supercharged 300 hp engine. You can see it on our engine stand, with a Switchblade wing in the background, as this test engine is being evaluated for our use.
We would be using a fraction of this engine’s potential, which we feel will lead to a long-lived engine suitable for use in the Switchblade.
