Built for Extreme UAV Performance: OptiProp

Tactical UAVs are flying higher, faster, and into increasingly contested environments

28/10/2025

Chris Bodycoat

In modern UAV operations, every gram of fuel, every ounce of thrust, and every kilowatt of power matters. Tactical UAVs are flying higher, faster, and into increasingly contested environments—leaving no margin for inefficiency. Traditional testing of engine and propeller performance is slow, costly, and often uncovers issues too late, resulting in sub-optimal designs and wasted potential.

That’s where Orbital UAV’s OptiProp comes in. Our in-house simulation platform allows engineers and customers to model any engine & propeller combination for a given aircraft, across altitudes from 0–20,000 ft and environmental conditions defined by mission requirements. By predicting thrust, power requirements, and fuel consumption, OptiProp enables optimisation well before a prototype ever takes to the skies.

Customer Benefits:

Rapidly iterates aircraft designs in early development

Selects the ideal propeller to realise best-in-class fuel efficiency

Minimises physical testing from months to hoursIncorporates predictive fuel consumption into engineering decisions

Compares aircraft performance - even against competitors - in diverse flight conditions

With OptiProp, UAVs perform reliably at the very edge of their capabilities, maximising payload, endurance, and operational effectiveness. When missions demand precision, efficiency, and performance, OptiProp delivers the edge.

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