Suter's TOA288 UAV engine passes FAA FAR33.49 endurance test

Suter has announced its Suter TOA288 engine has passed an endurance test run according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation section 33.49 for reciprocating engines. FAR 33.49 is a demanding FAA reciprocating aircraft engine endurance test that is a requirement for manned aircraft piston engines to be certified for use. Suter performed this testing recently at their state of the art facilities in Turbenthal, Switzerland to evaluate durability performance of its 24hp engine that is currently flying on several global UAV platforms. The Suter TOA288 engine can also be used for non-aerospace applications like APU's.

Engine performance testing and component inspection were completed after the 150hr FAR33.49 durability test and no issues were noticed with loss of performance or accelerated component wear. The engine was re-assembled with the existing hardware and is scheduled to run additional tests. The results will help Suter define TBO (time before overhaul) and maintenance schedules for the life of the engine to make sure the engine is reliable and achieves a cost competitive price/hour of engine operation over the life of the engine.

The Suter TOA288 is a twin cylinder, horizontal opposed, air cooled, two cycle engine, utilizing fuel injection, an advanced electronic engine management system and a 1kW starter/generator. Displacement is 288cm3. Power: 17.5kW (24HP) @6500rpm. The engine was a design collaboration between CAE GmbH and Suter Industries combining CAE's 25 years of manned & unmanned 2-stroke engine experience with Suter's over 25 years of 2-stroke motorcycle racing design & manufacturing experience.