Its Offerings Are Lighter, Cleaner, and Now Pushing Past 1,000nm on SAF Jet Fuel DeltaHawk’s diesel-powered aircraft lineup has seen incredible upgrades over the last few years. Not only has the company worked its design into three new planes, but it has also given its original Cirrus SR-20 a dramatic boost in performance and efficiency through an extensive refinement process… and the team says they’re not done yet. The SR-20 test bed has been around since 2013. A dozen years of R&D later, the aircraft is now posting more than 1,000 nautical miles of range with reserves while burning nearly 40% less fuel than a standard avgas-powered engine, putting it into competitive territory for real-world operators. A major part of the progress came from aggressive weight reduction. By redesigning oil and coolant lines, downsizing coolers, switching to lighter composites, and reworking the oil tank, DeltaHawk cut more than 200 pounds from the installation. The company is now preparing to shift into its new 400-series engine block, shedding even more weight and bumping output to 200 hp instead of 180.
