Zuri has selected Norway’s EdgePerformance to provide the engine for the latest technology demonstrator of its hybrid-electric uncrewed VTOL cargo aircraft. On October 13, the Czech start-up announced it will use a heavily modified version of the Rotax 912 ULS piston engine that its partner has adapted to drive the generator for the powertrain of the aircraft, which is set to start flight testing in early 2027.
The engine has already run on an idle setting at Zuri’s Prague headquarters, and testing will ramp up after it is displayed at the Future Forces Exhibition & Forum in the Czech capital next week. The configuration EdgePerformance developed contains no components restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), giving Zuri flexibility in potential applications and customers for its aircraft.
Among the modifications that EdgePerformance has made are arrangements for cooling, since the modified engine, which the company rates at 124.7 hp, will not turn a propeller on the aircraft. The engine can run on premium blends of automotive gasoline or ethanol blends of up to 100%. It could occasionally use 100LL avgas, but lead-additive deposits in the oil, valves, and combustion chamber would cut service intervals in half.
According to Zuri, the uncrewed aircraft it aims to start delivering in 2029 will carry a 253-pound payload on flights up to 369 nm. With a 30-minute energy reserve, the range would be confined to 309 nm.
“The hard problems in this aircraft are the electric architecture, the flight control and the airframe,” Zuri CEO and founder Michal Illich explained. “We did not want to add a new engine to that list. EdgePerformance gave us a proven, fuel-flexible power source, so our engineers could spend time where Zuri adds the most.”
The company said it is discussing early use cases for the aircraft with prospective civil and defense customers. It is also open to further investment offers.
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