Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a 27-year-old Brevard County research and manufacturing company, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a hybrid electric propulsion system to support a rapid-response small unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
The military use UAS to carry out various types of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, communications bridge, electronic warfare, and bomb damage assessment. These UAS use combustion engines for propulsion and often carry a payload specific to their mission. Because the propulsion systems must be sized for take-off power, the systems are oversized and less efficient for part-load cruise conditions.
Mainstream Engineering Corporation has developed a unique serial hybrid drive propulsion system that will provide improved aircraft stability during takeoff, increased flight duration, and a reduced aircraft noise signature for silent operational modes. Additional advantages of Mainstream’s approach include improved reliability and simplicity as well as simplified field maintainability.
Mainstream Engineering Corporation is a solutions-oriented research, development and manufacturing small business founded in 1986. Their mission is to transition advanced thermal control, energy storage and energy conversion technology into high-quality, cost-effective, environmentally-safe green, commercial products. Products include lightweight diesel/JP8-fueled engines (including generators and hybrid vehicle drive trains), advanced thermal control units, advanced biomass conversion technologies, refrigerators/freezers for shipping containers and the QwikProductTM line of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R) products. Areas of advanced research include thermal control, energy conversion, engine and emissions research, turbomachinery, chemical technology, and materials science.
Source: Press Release