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21 a passion and skill for engine design. Every specialisation, every skill, every knowledgeable helping hand had to be developed, tended to and put in the right place to deliver that project’s objectives.” Scaling up for industry Since our feature on the N20, Orbital has consolidated itself to focus entirely on the UAV engine market, changing its name to Orbital UAV and developing two further variants of the engine. Each N20 variant has been designed to keep pace with the evolution of the ScanEagle, with increases in shaft power, electrical power for payloads and improved efficiency for greater endurance. Indeed, the third generation, the N20C, has 25% more power as well as lower weight, improved fuel economy and much lower drag by streamlining the outer mould line compared with the initial introduction. The N20C has been in production since 2019, and all three N20 variants are now being operated ‘in theatre’ by defence forces. In addition, Orbital UAV has unveiled its Modular Propulsion System, an engine product designed for easier swapping in and out of different parts depending on the physical, propulsion and electrical requirements of different end-users. Orbital UAV’s customer base has also grown, with both Northrop Grumman and an unnamed Singaporean defence company having publicly signed the Australian company to develop all-new UAV propulsion systems for them. Prototypes for both programmes will be delivered this year, and further customers are to follow. As the high-end UAV market continues to grow, and its technological r&d draws further attention, Orbital UAV is shifting its focus again, to the large-scale manufacturing of its engines for the next generation of UAS fleets. “Since our early work with Textron, and our subsequent partnership with Insitu, we have put the great majority of our long- term investment into high-volume engine production facilities,” Cathcart remarks. As a result, Orbital UAV now has extensive assembly workshops, QC equipment and testing machinery in its Australian facility, including a new five-axis CNC-machining centre, new coordinate measuring machines and new test benches. Some similar systems are installed at its purpose-built facility in Oregon, which opened in 2018 (as featured in UST 28, December 1999/January 2000). This supports new propulsion module manufacture as well as maintenance, repairs and overhaul services for both the Insitu engines and those used by the company’s other US-based customers. “As we scale up the business, we are also investing heavily in our people, both current and the many new staff we are hiring,” Cathcart says. “Well-honed skills, education, experience and fresh ideas in high-tech engineering are critical for us to be able to go from the initial stages of r&d to series production faster, easier and with consistently high quality output.” To Cathcart, much like the open- plan classrooms of his youth, this great expansion of Orbital’s production, testing and r&d facilities signifies considerable room for him and his fellow engineers to grow within the company. As the company’s global customer base grows, it continues to recruit and widen its capabilities, ensuring Cathcart’s teams have sufficient hands on deck – particularly those skilled in developing fuel systems, control systems and calibration, along with other areas of production and testing – to satisfy current as well as future orders. “I have been here for 26 years, and I can confirm that Orbital has been a great place to work, and a great place for engine fanatics such as myself and my colleagues to pursue our passions and ideas,” he says. “All those years of experience mean we find ourselves mentoring our younger engineers more and more, using anecdotes from 10-20 years ago as a mirror to the conundrums they’re facing today. At the same time, we’re eager to see what a new generation of engineers can bring to this next generation of aircraft engines.” Unmanned Systems Technology | February/March 2021 Geoff Cathcart is the chief technical officer of Orbital UAV, in charge of overseeing the tasks and objectives of the company’s engineers across r&d, production, testing and MRO services. Born in Queensland, Australia, he initially attended Nambour Primary School before his family moved to Canberra, where he went to Chapman Primary School and then Holder High School. He subsequently earned a degree and did a PhD at the University of Queensland, specialising in numerical simulation. After working as a senior researcher at the university, he was hired by Orbital to improve its engine simulation software, and subsequently worked on the engine systems themselves. He was promoted to CTO in 2012, and since then he has overseen the ramping up of the company’s capabilities across UAV engine manufacturing, while continuing to have a direct role in key r&d. Geoff Cathcart