Beehive Industries secures $12.4 million contract for Additively Manufacturing low-cost jet engines
November 5, 2024
Beehive Industries, based in Englewood, Colorado, USA, has been awarded a $12.46 million contract to collaborate on the development and production of low-cost Small Expendable Turbine (SET) engines with the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) and the Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
The contract is to develop a 200 lb thrust class engine using Additive Manufacturing, and covers the design, manufacture, testing, and qualification of the engine, including demonstration of manufacturing scalability, completion of flight testing, and an initial production run of 30 engines. The programme will be completed within 24 months and work will be performed in Beehive’s Cincinnati, Denver, and Knoxville facilities.
Earlier this year, Beehive announced the successful test completion of its 500 lb thrust engine as part of its strategy to develop a family of engines ranging from 100-5,000 lbs of thrust for a variety of applications including drones, standoff systems, and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. This programme will enable Beehive to build on that success and apply its additively-enabled design and manufacturing processes directly in support of the need for capable, affordable, and readily available propulsion systems.
“Beehive is excited to have this opportunity to bring its capabilities to bear on the affordable mass challenge for the US military in collaboration with the University of Dayton Research Institute,” said Gordie Follin, Chief Product Officer for the company. “Our state-of-the-art Additive Manufacturing approach opens up new possibilities to radically alter the traditional relationships between cost, performance, and scalability while delivering high performance engines purpose built for their applications.”
Brian Stitt, Division Head for Sustainment Technologies Transition at UDRI, said the Research Institute team is excited to partner with the US Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office and Beehive Industries to advance Additive Manufacturing in the aerospace and propulsion fields.
“This partnership will not only propel the Air Force but the additive industry as a whole, and we are proud to be a major part of it!” Stitt shared.
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