Mistral suspends G-300 engine development

Swiss rotary engine manufacturer Mistral Engines has been forced to suspend development of its G-300 rotary aircraft engine because of a dearth of funding.



DUE TO GLOBAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS MISTRAL ENGINES HAS HAD TO SUSPEND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS REVOLUTIONARY AIRCRAFT ROTARY ENGINE
Press Release, 09 June 2010

Company states that it is actively seeking additional investors to complete the final stages of FAA certification for the G-300 rotary aircraft engine

Geneva, Switzerland (June 9th, 2010) – Mistral Engines has announced that due to the shortage of funding, the Board of Directors has voted to put an immediate hold on its efforts to develop and certify the all-new, 300 horsepower, G-300 rotary aircraft engine.

The Mistral Engine concept has been in development for the past 10-years. Prior to the decision to cease operations, the company had entered into the final stages testing and had expected to receive FAA certification of the G-300 in the first quarter of 2011

“At the operational level, all indicators are green both from a technical and commercial standpoint,” said Philippe Durr, CEO, Mistral Engines. “The shortage of cash is terribly frustrating for all involved stakeholders, namely employees, investors, partners, suppliers and, of course, our potential customers.”
“Fortunately, these troubled times can be very quickly overcome if adequate financing is secured in the coming weeks,” he added. “The Board’s decision was especially difficult because of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent notice on 100LL Avgas availability. Our engine is an environmentally solution to that problem. The Mistral rotary engine runs efficiently on any type of autogas or Avgas. In addition, we are well along with developing a version of the Mistral Engine that runs on Jet-A1 fuel”.

Durr said that because of the potential for the Mistral Engine’s capabilities, the company is actively seeking new avenues of financing including partnerships and the outright sale of the Mistral Engine design technology to another company.
The normally-aspirated Mistral G-300 is a revolutionary three (3)-rotor rotary engine that is intended to bridge the current performance, reliability and cost gap between current piston and turbine engines. The company states that the new engine series “will deliver a responsible solution to the environmental, social and economic challenges facing general aviation in the 21st century.”

The 300-horsepower, G-300 is the first of a family of new-technology rotary engines under development by Mistral. The rotary engines range from 200 to 360 horsepower and offer significant operational benefits including multi-fuel capabilities, new-generation electronic fuel controls, vibration-free operation, and liquid cooling.

Mr. Durr also said that because of the G-300’s many advantages over current traditional piston engines offerings, the company is seeing significant interest from aircraft, helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturers around the world.

Mistral Engines