Czech aerospace company PBS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ukraine’s Ivchenko Progress to develop a new engine for unmanned vehicle applications.
The AI-PBS-350 engine is designed for use in cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and other unmanned systems. It has 764 lbs (3.4 kN) of thrust and weighs only 51 kg (112 lbs).
Company brochures state that it is optimized for “single-mission” UAV systems.
PBS says the AI-PBS-350 is the most advanced engine of its kind and the company is now sharing technical details with potential customers.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by PBS CEO Milan Macchoran and Ivchenko Progress counterpart Vadim Omerchenko.
“This contract aims to establish a framework for commercial development and production cooperation for the new AI-PBS-350 turbojet, which will be a joint product of PBS and Ivchenko Progress and will be available to customers from mid-2023. will be,” says the Czech company.
“The agreement also includes an expanded cooperation agreement to identify new joint commercial development projects in the aerospace, defense and energy industries.”
Omerchenko said the Russian invasion of Ukraine had a huge impact on all Ukrainian companies, but Ivchenko Progress was able to continue its business with the strong support of the Kiev government.
