Kazan-based company "Astraproekt" has developed an engine scheme for drones based on new principles. Engineers proposed replacing the complex turbine with an electric compressor and a laser spark, documents were published in the FIPS database.

In the new scheme, air is compressed by a centrifugal compressor from a conventional electric motor, and all the explosion energy goes only to thrust.

The main idea is to initiate detonation with a laser. Instead of a chaotic spark plug, engineers installed 3 to 8 lasers. Each beam is weak individually, but at the focus on the engine axis, they create a powerful breakdown.

Thanks to the new scheme, a conical detonation occurs, which directs the shock wave strictly into the nozzle, and not back into the compressor. A special aerodynamic valve prevents gases from going back.

Prototype tests showed a thrust of 41 N, a pulsation frequency of 950 Hz, and an exhaust gas velocity of 800 m/s. Energy efficiency increased by 2.2 times compared to analogues without laser guidance.

Recently, Skolkovo developers patented an engine with an external rotor for drones, in which engine cooling is organized without complex external systems.