Kawasaki Motors is working on a new piston aviation engine initiative and hopes to have the first four- and six-cylinder inline models type certified as early as 2030. The company is designing the models to initially run on traditional combustion fuels, but with the capacity for transitioning to hydrogen and e-fuels depending on customer needs. These engines will offer high power-to-weight ratios and are designed to be compact and low-vibration, drawing from what the company has learned in decades of motorcycle engine development.
The name Kawasaki certainly invokes motorcycles, but the company has also been active in aerospace engineering since its early days, and now both operations fall under the umbrella of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. In the early 20th century, Kawasaki developed both airframes and aircraft engines, with the Ki-61 Hien “flying swallow” WWII fighter as one of its most recognizable. Now, development is coming full circle with innovation springing from the ground up with the clean-sheet development of a piston aircraft engine informed by motorcycle technology.
More In Engines
