UK startup Greenjets releases jet engine for (pro) drone users

Drone enthusiasts who dream of one day piloting their craft using the speed and efficiency of jet engine tech take heart – UK startup Greenjets has released a solution striving to turn that ambition into reality.

This week Bedfordshire-based Greenjets introduced its electric jet engine propulsor for what initially will be drone manufacturers and specialized enterprise clients. Dubbed the IPM5, the engine looks like something you’d expect to see hanging from the underside of a passenger plane, though under current Greenjets’ design, the unit sits atop hosting drones.

The IPM5 jet engine weighs in at a mere 750g (1.6 lb.) and provides a maximum thrust of 5kgf/11 lbf with an efficiency of 360W/kgf. Designed for drone propulsion and currently listed on the Greenjets site as “shipping now,” the product is slated to be followed up by IPM50 and IPM500 versions targeting larger, possibly passenger-carrying craft.

But in addition to…