General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. extends development contracts with Thielert

Thielert AG wins additional contracts from its US customer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI). As part of the ER/MP (Extended Range/Multi Purpose) program for the US Army, the current contract for the year 2006 was increased by 50 percent. This increase consists of additional developments to the engine for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "Warrior". Thielert is the exclusive engine supplier for this program.

"The new order from GA-ASI within the ER/MP program means continued growth for us in the defense technology market," said Frank Thielert, CEO at Thielert AG. "The Warrior UAV is now also under discussion for further military and civilian programs. Thanks to our diesel piston aircraft engines the Warrior is already able to fly using the single military fuel to be introduced in the future. In addition, our engines have civil aviation certifications and a high level of technological development with over 300,000 accumulated flying hours," added Thielert. Civil aviation certifications are becoming more and more important for drones like the Warrior because they are also used in civil airspace. In a study, the US General Accountability Office (GAO) approved the aviation-certified technology of Thielert engines as being fully ready to operate in US drone programs and gave them the highest "Technology Readiness Level". This is a unique selling proposition of Thielert diesel piston aircraft engines. In a further study, the GAO recommended the use of the Warrior UAV in all military services.