FG-40: the first completely domestic serial engine for UAVs

Drones, without which it is difficult to imagine a modern armed conflict, appeared in our country back in Soviet times. Tu-143 “Flight”, La-17R, Tu-141 “Strizh”, Tu-123 “Yastreb” - all these are domestic drones.

It would seem that with such a technological base, modern Russia should not have problems in this industry. But, as we remember, they arose at the beginning of the Northern Military District.

With the introduction of unprecedented sanctions against our country by the West, Russia has acute problems with components. If we talk about UAVs, the most acute shortage of engines was felt. But in Soviet times, such power plants were assembled even by amateurs involved in aircraft modeling circles, of which there were a huge number in the country at that time...

However, modern Russia, if it has not overcome, is already extremely close to overcoming the above-mentioned difficulties.

Thus, at the St. Petersburg NPO AMB, serial production of the FG-40 internal combustion engine for UAVs began, completely consisting of domestic components and not dependent on foreign supplies.

According to the developer, the first batch of the FG-40 engine is already being produced. At the same time, despite the fact that other companies are developing their own, it is the only one in Russia at this stage of readiness.

The company said that the FG-40 is a model of a four-stroke engine for aircraft-type UAVs with a power of 3,5 hp. The operating speed range is from 3,5 to 4 thousand. The unit can ensure drone flight at an altitude of up to 5 km at a speed of 100 to 160 km/h. Fuel consumption is approximately 330 ml/h.

Comments

[Alien From]

And where is? 24 years old

[Aerodrome]

this must have been at least 30 years ago... that only makes me feel ashamed and not proud.

[krot]

Finally! Hallelujah! What else can I say.
For those who are all lost, I can also say, like: “Where have you been before?”, “It’s been ’24...” So it’s better to start doing all this than to forever rumble like you!

[agond]

I remembered how in aircraft modeling circles the pioneers, under the guidance of adults, made internal combustion engines for their models

[volgast1970]

They didn’t make internal combustion engines, but installed ready-made ones on the model.

[Bledar]

pioneers, under the guidance of adults, made internal combustion engines for their models

Yes, the pioneers (under the guidance of adults, of course) cast a cylinder block, an oil sump, etc. in a foundry, forged pistons and pins, turned a crankshaft, then assembled spark plugs from clay, moss, mined copper ore and an old Soviet nuclear-powered ship. Those were golden times, not like now, just mediocrity

[lynnot]

I don't remember anything like that. If only improvements and repairs. Model internal combustion engines of a fairly wide range were then produced in sufficient quantities. The simplest MK-12V with 2,5 cubes cost 8 rubles. I remember that we ourselves made working steam engines and boilers for them the size of a cigarette pack.

[eckons]

This is, as always, for those who did not live in the Soviet Union, depending on their views, they “remember”.
One is an absolute paradise, where pioneers assembled nuclear reactors, apartments that were distributed free of charge to everyone, an abundance of goods on the shelves because all the factories were working. And for others, it’s a real hell in which everyone just marches in formation from the nalivayka straight to the Gulag, and the unfortunate children suffered from unaffordable Snickers and burgers.

[fiv]

Hooray. We learned how to make engines for mopeds. Still would. We have NAMI, MVTU and other giants. As before, the Hero of Labor was awarded for an aircraft engine, but no one wanted to get involved with small items. The film was called "Indian", it seems, where a man cast pistons in a garage and made an engine, and then set a speed record at Bonneville. Hello, we are looking for talent, we are already full of managers.

[Bledar]

The film was called "Indian", it seems, where a man cast pistons in a garage and made an engine, and then set a speed record at Bonneville.

And this guy then riveted his own engines in his garage with a circulation of hundreds of thousands?

[fiv]

Can I not chew the soft bread for you?

[Dead duck]

He didn’t produce motorcycles, don’t be silly. film about something else (The Fastest Indian. 2005)

[cast iron]

NAMI has done nothing at all over the past 35 years. Only salaries are absorbed.

[acetophenone]

Quote: agond

I remembered how in aircraft modeling circles the pioneers, under the guidance of adults, made internal combustion engines for their models

ICEs for aircraft models were purchased. Ramjet engines - yes, they did, it happened.

[Dead duck]

Sometimes they went through (even completely), like maps)

[g_ae]

Chubais should have been appointed. He would have done everything long ago.

[cast iron]

Wait. Soon Moisha Izrailevich will be sent back to Moscow to develop unmanned aerial vehicle production. It has already fully developed and raised energy and innovation. It’s time to work on the military-industrial complex in the field of drone construction.

[Mordvin 3]

FG-40 is a model of a four-stroke engine for aircraft-type UAVs with a power of 3,5 hp.

Is this from a Delta moped, or what?

[VZEM100]

the delta is more powerful and most likely will be cooler

[acetophenone]

Similar? Or is this creative borrowing? Then at least a link to the source of inspiration.

[Yuri L]

Indeed, in the USSR, in circles, gasoline engines for aircraft models were collected (yes, not in all) But in the USSR, where young people were fools, and now we are smart, a quarter of the 21st century has almost passed, how can we solve such a complex problem, compared with it, creating a vigorous loaf was just a joke. But nothing, smart Russians have salvation - a simple guy Lin ((Hua, Dan, who remembers him) in his garage will make for us a thousand, two really working engines, (of course, this...comrade will steal know-how somewhere, ugh, we’re not like that) but we will also have to try hard later - re-stick the stickers and increase the price at least three times, and sell our truly Russian innovative development, of course, to a UAV manufacturer , well, the one further down the list will set the price. But if the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China bans the supply of these engines, well, it’s a huge problem, but never mind, then we will quickly invent the world’s first super-innovative Rubber Motor (from the aviation industry, remember?) for UAVs!

[alexoff]

And what kind of drone?
In general, we have such a problem with engines because we decided not to spend money on them. The Moscow Region operates on the principle of the free market and does not care where the drone manufacturers come from or what they will get from it.

[AC130 Gunship]

I liked it completely. So, did anyone actually check? We even installed a Bosch ignition on the motor of the Ant scooter in the 90s. My father had one like this

[wladimirjankov]

[quote]with such a technological base, modern Russia should not have problems in this industry. But, as we remember, they arose at the beginning of the Northern Military District.[/quote
these problems arose not at the beginning of their own, but at the beginning of 2000, when the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the military-industrial complex simply did not pay any attention or interest in the development of UAVs. Drones were not needed, and therefore engines for them and other components were also not needed. Now we are reaping the fruits of the criminal shortsightedness and incompetence of the people responsible for the development of the weapons of our army. And none of these people seem to have been held accountable for this.

[Uncle_Misha]

The army has always suffered from shortsightedness; just remember General Dragomirov, an ardent opponent of machine guns. But then and now people don’t shoot for shortsightedness. The reason for the lack of interest in UAVs probably lies elsewhere. You can’t make money on them, yes, at the beginning of 2000 there were no Russian components or engines.. And no one wants to produce engines without being able to sell them. The market as it is, nothing personal.

[alexoff]

The drone still doesn’t look very impressive at the parade.

Quote: Uncle_Misha

The army has always suffered from shortsightedness; just remember General Dragomirov, an ardent opponent of machine guns.

Well, you compare, Dragomirov crossed the Danube in battle with minimal losses, but our commanders cannot handle a three-meter river, and they have more awards. Roughly speaking, according to today’s concepts, Dragomirov would say that we need aircraft drones like bayraktars, and not these flimsy quadrics. And after Khmeimim, we have neither hangars nor drones of our own. It seems to me that our history has never seen a more deranged gsh

[Uncle_Misha]

I did not compare, but gave an example of short-sightedness. Our current commanders can cross a five-meter river if they have a couple of extra motorized rifle divisions that they don’t mind. And Avdeevka can be stormed in a week, the only question is at what cost. Behind Dragomirov there was Russia and the human resources of that Russia and the current one cannot be compared. But drones and hangars are cheap compared to the same tanks and airplanes; you can’t make much money on them, and you can’t sell them over the hill. Our military-industrial complex is a private trader, but what questions do we have for a private trader? Profit is everything!

[alexoff]

Quote: Uncle_Misha

Our current commanders can cross a five-meter river if they have a couple of extra motorized rifle divisions that they don’t mind.

Well, only their plan will be like this - divisions, cross the river, or two! And they will go to headquarters to write reports. And not like Dragomirov - bomb the Turks in another place, not tell anyone where the crossing will be, spread false rumors, issue a black uniform for work at night.

Quote: Uncle_Misha

And drones and hangars are cheap things

I think there are no hangars because they need to be built at sensitive facilities, where only especially privileged private owners are allowed, who wrote such a price list that apparently the planes were cheaper.

Quote: Uncle_Misha

Our military-industrial complex is a private trader, but what questions do we have for a private trader? Profit is everything!

He is such a private owner, where commissions cut profits to 15% of the cost. I remember one minister said - and now only Russian components should be on the roads. And all for the same money. After that, everyone fell off who did not have connections, thanks to which the inspectors would ignore Western details. And shipbuilding contracts are driving shipyards to bankruptcy. Surely private owners there also love money, but there is obviously inadequacy on the part of the customer

[Uncle_Misha]

Times and technology are different now. The children showed a satellite image of my house, I myself am not good at computers, you can see everything, except you can’t identify the type of tomatoes in the garden. So dressing in black will not help and will not provide secrecy. Hangars and missile silos are built by ordinary hard workers, everyone has the opportunity to get a job, at least many of my friends worked in such offices and still work. Regarding roads and ministerial statements. You can apply for anything! When it comes to construction, exceptions to the rules begin. Here you are one hundred percent right.

[alexoff]

Quote: Uncle_Misha

The children showed a satellite image of my house, I myself am not good at computers, you can see everything, except you can’t identify the type of tomatoes in the garden.

But with satellites everything is simple - they are known, their flight time is known, and this is literally a second and that’s all. Times are different, but they are different for everyone. During World War II in Africa, the British disguised tanks as conventional equipment and vice versa, there was no way to tell the difference from five meters away. And Rommel was defeated. And now you can come up with a million ways to try to deceive the enemy, and a million excuses for doing nothing and attacking the defenders head-on.

Quote: Uncle_Misha

Hangars and missile silos are built by ordinary hard workers, everyone has the opportunity to get a job, at least many of my friends worked in such offices and still do.

Ordinary men build with their hands, but they are led by unusual, respected people.

[Uncle_Misha]

In addition to satellites, there is also human intelligence. I think there are more deported Cossacks on Russian territory than FSB workers. I don’t know anything about construction site managers, maybe you’re right.

[alexoff]

Dragomirov didn’t even tell the emperor his plans so as not to dishevel them. Apparently he was insuring himself against fools and deported Cossacks. But such amateur activities are not in fashion today, otherwise the property of a respected person will suddenly suffer?!

[d1975]

Your words, especially the last ones, are relevant, remember the confrontation between the Wagners and the General Staff, well, there was a point. But now they are bashing Vagner as best they can. No, to learn from experience and become better, if you think that ours are better, then Old Man? Or did I miss something?

[eckons]

Don't talk nonsense. What does the market have to do with it? How much did the Jews earn from drones, the Americans. The Turks generally created their own aviation industry, starting with drones. Now they've even taken aim at a fighter jet. The reason most likely lies in inertia. But it also has its origins. Imagine a general who would take it upon himself to adopt a drone, where all the electronics are imported, navigation is on GPS, since Glonass has only just been deployed. Moreover, which can only be used for 4 months a year, since for example in January we had only 8 minutes of clear sky for the entire month (Moscow).

[cast iron]

Moreover, all these “deserved” military “geniuses” enjoy an excellent military general’s pension and have a lot of benefits. And all of them are directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Russian soldiers in the Northern Military District.

[Fangaro]

The manufacturer was praised in the news.
They criticized the dominance of managers in the comments.
We remembered a story not far away and a century ago.
Maybe the problem is not that in the USSR they made motors in circles (I didn’t, but somehow I assembled something from a ready-made kit), and not in the dominance of managers (again, from my own experience, I judge them, in small organizations there are few good ), but the fact is that if you do something, then someone should need it.
Putting a cafe with milkshakes next to a dairy farm in the village... Isn’t that absurd?!
So it is with many other things. There is no need for a completely domestic MO - it won’t happen. And if the Moscow Region announces that it is very necessary and for a lot of money, other talents will come. And not the managers, but now who sets goals and objectives for these managers.
So, as someone correctly said in a comment, if this enterprise is completely domestic, including machines, and produces something, then let everything work out. There are not many such idealists, with talent, brains and reserves of their own (even if it is unknown how they were accumulated) funds.
Personal opinion.

[2112vda]

Gentlemen, we are all quite capable of criticizing the people who made the 4-stroke in this class. You're just not in the know. You know how everyone who is not too lazy “sinks for 2-stroke aircraft”; in their opinion, this is the only alternative for UAVs. Almost the entire teaching staff of our universities and everyone who is somehow involved in aircraft modeling speak out from such irreconcilable positions. The fact is that back in 2015, the Ministry of Defense decided what type of power plant, 2-stroke or 4-stroke, they needed for the UAV. Sorry, but despite the apparent simplicity of the 2-stroke aircraft, it has a lot of shortcomings that do not allow making UAVs with a long loitering time or flight range. The Moscow Region chose a 4-stroke; at that time, the country had a whole line of 2-stroke machines and not a single 4-stroke with the required power. The fact that the St. Petersburg people made the engine, even if they copied it, is great. It’s better to have something than nothing and shake the air with smart speeches.

[fiv]

Dear colleague! No one even thinks of criticizing the people who made the mentioned motor. One can only praise them. Colleagues are annoyed that, having the Academy of Sciences and many specialized institutes, we do not have internal combustion engines, except licensed ones or those we inherited from designers and manufacturers of the USSR. One can complain that there are no orders for such developments, but these are just excuses, science doesn’t work like that, and if it doesn’t work, then it’s not science. Nobody ordered a steam locomotive for Polzunov. And he did.

[2112vda]

Alas, specialized motor institutes have long gone into oblivion. There is no VNIIMotoprom, TsNIDI, TsNITA, NIKTID and a lot of factory motor design bureaus have ceased to exist. I wonder how else NAMI and CIAM managed to survive. There has been a colossal pogrom in our engine industry.

[Alexey Lantukh]

Well, actually, we made not only rockets, but also motorcycles with their own engines. For example, the Izhevsk Motor Plant produced Izh-i with its own engines. Now they are gone, but the archives have probably been preserved

[al3x]

Have you got a motor for the trimmer? Cool. Not a reproach to the creators, they are handsome, although, most likely, a copy of some Chinese product. But it's a necessary thing.

[AlOrg]

There was information that eagles run on Russian two-stroke engines. So this is not the only domestic engine

[2112vda]

Journalists will write and say something different. Yesterday they said in the news that Orlan-10 is capable of flying at an altitude of 10 km. 2-stroke engines did not and do not satisfy the TTT developed back in 2015. These are just representatives of university science trying with all their might to push their developments, that is, model 2-stroke motors, onto an Orlan-type UAV. For installation on the Orlan-10, a 4-stroke Japanese aircraft model engine, Saito-40, was chosen. According to the press, the dynamics of the cost of this engine looks like this: in 2015, the engine cost Russia 30 thousand rubles, today the price is 170 thousand. Draw your own conclusions.

[acetophenone]

Quote: Uncle_Misha

The army has always suffered from shortsightedness; just remember General Dragomirov, an ardent opponent of machine guns. But then and now people don’t shoot for short-sightedness.

They're shooting! Just like they shoot! Both one at a time and in divisions. But not those who are short-sighted, but those whose lives were controlled by short-sighted people.

[2112vda]

This is true! Now my nephew is in the Northern Military District, Ukrainian drones are vicious, in this matter everything is good with us only on television. We are very far behind in terms of copters. There is a deceased person in our family. Was hit by a cluster shell. The target designation was provided by the drone. In order to at least catch up with Ukraine in this matter, a developed radio-electronic industry and the production of general-purpose engines, both internal combustion and electric, are needed, but there are big problems with this. The government is relying on a private investor, the only question is, does a private investor need it?
A private investor has no money for this, no infrastructure, no knowledge and skills, just wishful thinking.

[Mongolor]

I don’t understand: in the USSR they made all sorts of motorcycles like the Voskhod in Kovrov and Izhevsk and Irbit and suddenly...... a problem with engines since the sanctions.... and the government didn’t try to plan the economy and support factories or even restore them?! and why is no one punished for this state of affairs?!

[cast iron]

We have capitalism. The government owes nothing to anyone and is not responsible for anything. This is what 34% of the world’s “most reading” population has voted for for 87 years in a row.

[Mongolor]

And there were also problems with portable generators and pumps, and that it was difficult to install a Kovrov or Irbit Izhevsk engine on the frame?!

[cast iron]

Now it seems that the Russian plant has launched production of a wide range of generators and auxiliary power units based on turboshaft gas turbine internal combustion engines. At a minimum, these installations are made for military equipment.

[fa2998]

Quote: krot

Finally! Hallelujah! What else can I say.

It's too early to shout Hurray! This is not yet in production. Moreover, many of us only have prototypes and pre-production copies. List.? Get tired of counting!

[the same doctor]

Author, let a specialist correct your text. You can't be such an idiot...

[Comrade Kim]

Quote: Alien From

And where is? 24 years old

Down and Out trouble started.
All will be!

They’ll put it into series, and Bendera’s people will choke in blood!

[Pravodel]

...the first completely domestic production engine....

Another thank you to the damned excellent managers from Chubais and company. The USSR produced the entire possible range of engines: both electric and internal combustion engines. Now, finally, they have created their own engine. And with that, thank you. The only question is: what bearings are in the engine? Korean or Chinese, or maybe Swedish. Chubais and his companies also did a good job here: they destroyed all bearing production in Russia. And, as you know, you won’t go far without a wheel or bearing...

[Reklastik]

Production of Soviet engines for mopeds has been restored

[Puper driver]

Yes, we make engines for fighter planes, airliners, and for lawn mowers, we just learned how.