Wave Engine Tests No-Moving-Parts Jet on UAV, Eyes Eventual Commercial Use
• Wave Engine Corp successfully tested a jet engine with no moving parts that uses pressure waves instead of rotating turbine blades to produce thrust
• The engine is a variation of a pulsejet design used on German V-1 missiles in WWII; pulsejets are very loud and hard to control but potentially more efficient
• Wave Engine mounted its new "Wave Engine J-1" pulsejet on a small 100-lb unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which completed multiple successful takeoffs and landings
• Companies like Boeing and GE have pulsejet research programs and see potential for the technology but it still needs years of development and testing
• Wave Engine aims to eventually scale up the technology for commercial jets but going from a 100-lb to large jet is a big leap requiring extensive further development