Honeywell has unveiled its HON1600 engine for the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) market at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in Washington, D.C. The engine is designed to meet cost, speed and performance requirements for next-generation platforms.
The HON1600 meets mission-critical parameters, including high-altitude capability up to 40,000 feet, rigorous G-level performance and the ability to reach manoeuvring targets. The USAF’s CCA programme is a multi-pronged initiative to test, develop and implement autonomous and manned-unmanned aircraft teaming concepts.
The propulsion system has been engineered to move “from model to metal” quickly, with many materials suitable for additive manufacturing and high-volume techniques such as metal injection moulding. This design approach aims to increase speed of production and strengthen supply chain resilience.
The engine’s flexible and scalable architecture supports turbojet or turbofan variants ranging from 800 to 1600 pound-force thrust, with scalability for additional requirements. Honeywell confirmed the core engine has already been demonstrated at rated thrust.
Using a systems engineering approach with digital modelling, Honeywell enables faster design, integration and more accurate evaluation at the air vehicle level. The HON1600 family is also designed to support long-term storage prior to deployment.
