McMinnville-based Northwest UAV is the largest unmanned aerial vehicle engine manufacturer in the country. NWUAV has grown from seven employees in 2008 to more than 40 today. NWUAV has produced over 4,500 engines and expects continued growth in 2010. NWUAV is a critical supplier of engines for Boeing's Scan Eagle.
Driven to meet new federal regulations that require a 35 percent reduction in exhaust emissions, NWUAV initiated a program to develop a unique fuel injection engine that will run on heavy jet fuels. The new system promises to increase fuel efficiency, increase flight times and reduce emissions.
Business Oregon staff connected NWUAV with R&D facilities at the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) to design and prototype the new fuel injector. Business Oregon invested significantly to build out the capabilities of ONAMI for just such partnerships that could help drive development of products for Oregon companies.
Business Oregon provided Union County construction funding of $2,184,388 that was used to construct a new building and a communications tower at the Union County Airport to support the U.S. Forest Service's national and regional fire and other air operations.
Oregon's energy costs are among the lowest industrial rates in the U.S. averaging fewer than 5 cents per kilowatt hour in some areas. This is about half of the industrial rates in California.
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