Martin Aircraft Company Limited (Martin Aircraft) (ASX: MJP) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with UK based Gilo Industries Group Limited for the supply of its advanced rotary engines from its wholly owned subsidiary Rotron Power Limited.
As described in our prospectus and recent announcements,Martin Aircraft is moving away from the custom designed and built two stroke V4 engine presently used on Martin Jetpack test aircraft. The company never planned for this engine to be its commercial engine solution and therefore in June 2015 the company began to investigate other options. Following an engine study, Martin Aircraft selected the Rotron rotary engine and consequently is not proceeding at this stage with either the 2 stroke or 4 stroke engine concept design. The Rotron rotary engine reflects a completely new approach to vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) propulsion both in manned and unmanned air vehicle (UAV) operations by redefining the relationship between size, performance, efficiency and reliability. It delivers a higher power-to-weight ratio when compared to any other specific engine while remaining small, lightweight and reliable with almost zero vibration. This makes it an ideal power plant for the Martin Jetpack range of aircraft, including both Manned and UAV models.
The Martin Jetpack specific rotary engine is based upon an adaption of Rotron engines currently being manufactured for unmanned air vehicles. Testing and evaluation has been taking place at the Rotron United Kingdom test facilities since late last year with the assistance of representatives from Martin Aircraft Company. Testing will continue as we move to align the engine delivery with the production build.
Says Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Martin Aircraft, Peter Coker, “With Rotron’s patented rotor and water cooling systems and electronic fuel injection fitted as standard, the Rotron engine delivers greater fuel and payload flexibility, improved operational range and a multi-mission capability that fits well with our product development roadmap for the Martin Jetpack and Jetpack products."
Gilo Industries CEO Jim Edmondson comments, “The vision of Gilo Industries is to produce innovative class beating technology. Working with Martin Aircraft Company is a fantastic fit as we are both companies that see disruptive technology as a way of changing the status quo. Our unique design for the Martin Jetpack, which incorporates proven Rotron technology, offers a powerful solution that will support the growth of Martin Aircraft Company in the future.”