Bloomfield-based efficient engine developer LiquidPiston said it has been awarded a $35 million contract to design and develop a 90-plus horsepower heavy-fueled rotary engine for the U.S. Air Force.
The three-year contract will support hybrid power system development and was awarded by AFWERX, an innovation arm of the Air Force.
The new $35 million contract includes $15 million in federal Small Business Innovation Research funding from the Air Force’s Supplemental Funding Pilot Program, which was announced in June.
With this award, LiquidPiston said it will develop the 90-plus horsepower heavy-fueled rotary engine, which will be incorporated into a modular rotary engine hybrid power system.
The engine and power system can serve as the “power pack” for a variety of applications, the company said, including unmanned aerial systems propulsion, mobile operating bases and vehicle auxiliary power units.
LiquidPiston last year announced a $9 million Department of Defense contract to develop a super-efficient version of a diesel engine.
