The development of an engine of this size began a few years ago as a personal project by our engineer Joan Ramon Martí. Using discarded components from the X45 and fabricating many parts by hand in his spare time, he succeeded in building several engines with varying performance levels, achieving thrusts of up to 15N (3.4 lb).
However, further improvement in performance was limited by the lack of suitable components—particularly the rotor—which prevented the engine from reaching the full potential typically possible for this size (51 mm / 2").
In early 2024, Xicoy's management decided to officially support the project. Our design team completely redesigned the engine and invested in professionally manufacturing several key components.
The results have been outstanding. In a short period, the engine reached its projected performance goals, achieving a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 1:10 by summer 2024.
Over the past year, we have focused on developing the auxiliary systems (internal ECU, valves, starter, etc.) necessary for the engine to operate with the same ease of use and reliability as the rest of the Xicoy engine lineup.
This was not an easy task; significant effort was required to miniaturize the ECU, valves, and starter to fit within the engine’s compact housing. Nonetheless, we succeeded, and the engine is now fully functional.
That said, it is not yet a production model. The decision to proceed with mass production is still under consideration.
We must carefully evaluate the costs involved and determine whether sufficient market demand exists to justify the investment. Due to the extremely tight tolerances required for manufacturing, the production of this engine will be more complex and costly—likely placing its price in the range of a 130–160N engine, and certainly higher than that of the current X45.
