Development, manufacturing and service of turbojet engines for model making, drones, industry and military
Frank Turbine GmbH
Innsbruck (AT) · Kiefersfelden (DE)New on Amplifa
About Frank Turbine
Frank Turbine GmbH, based in Innsbruck, develops and manufactures turbojet engines (small turbines) for model making, unmanned aerial vehicles, industrial and military applications. From its beginnings in 1992 as an experimental project by Alfred Frank, the company Alfred Frank Modellturbinen was founded in 2000; since its acquisition by Ing. Mario Pasqualini in 2017 and the founding of Frank Turbine GmbH in 2024, the company has operated under its current name. The portfolio includes turbines with 18 to 150 kg of thrust (FT180 to FT1500), custom-fitted thrust tubes, accessories such as shut-off valves, flow meters and turbine oil, as well as in-house ECU control electronics. The engines run on kerosene, petroleum or, since 2011, diesel with a small oil admixture. The company supports customers throughout the entire product life cycle with maintenance, repair, manuals and personal support; service work may only be carried out by the company and authorized partners. Distribution takes place through partners in the USA (Ultimate Jets, Texas), Benelux, France, South America and Italy.
- Site
- Innsbruck
- Processes
- Manufacture and development of turbojet engines (small turbines), Engine production, Manufacture of thrust tubes (fitted to the company's own engines), Turbine service, maintenance and repair of engines (engine maintenance), Engine design and optimization, project management turbofan engine, development, ECU control and regulation electronics for turbines (ECU v1.0, ProJET Hornet III), Accessory manufacturing: shut-off valve, felt pendulum, flow meter, ECU converter, turbine oil, Service and maintenance of turbines
- Materials
- Kerosene, Diesel, Petroleum, Fully synthetic two-stroke oil
- Founded
- 2000
- Industries
- Model making, Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), Military, Industry (e.g. asphalt drying equipment), Aviation / unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), Industry (e.g. asphalt drying equipment)
- 01
Engineering and engine design
- 02
Manufacturing of engine components
- 03
Assembly of the engines
- 04
Production of thrust tubes and accessories
- 05
Configuration for customer-specific applications
- 06
Distribution via partners
- 07
Service, maintenance and repair
Fuels and Operation
Kerosene
Preferred fuel for all Frank Turbine engines, with approx. 4–5% oil admixture.
Diesel
Since September 2011, all engines can be operated with premium diesel and 1–2% fully synthetic two-stroke oil.
Petroleum
Alternative to kerosene if that fuel is not available.
Fully synthetic two-stroke oil
Admixture for lubrication; the company's own turbine oil is recommended.
Locations
Innsbruck
ATCompany headquarters, manufacturing, development and service intake
- Lot size
- Single units and small series
- Materials
- Aluminium and steel components for turbine construction
- Engine manufacturing FT180–FT1500
- ECU control electronics
- Thrust tube manufacturing
Kiefersfelden
DEService intake for Germany (DAPACKS)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture and development of turbojet engines (small turbines)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Engine productionAssembly | – | – | – | – | Kerosene, Diesel, Petroleum, fully synthetic two-stroke oil |
| Manufacture of thrust tubes (fitted to the company's own engines)Joining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Turbine service, maintenance and repair of engines (engine maintenance)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Engine design and optimization, project management turbofan engine, developmentEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| ECU control and regulation electronics for turbines (ECU v1.0, ProJET Hornet III)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Accessory manufacturing: shut-off valve, felt pendulum, flow meter, ECU converter, turbine oilAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
10 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbojet engine FT180 (formerly TJ-70 Raptor) | Frank Turbine FT180 | – | – | – | Innsbruck |
| Turbojet engine FT220 | Frank Turbine FT220 | – | – | – | Innsbruck |
| Turbojet engine FT250 | Frank Turbine FT250 | – | – | – | Innsbruck |
| Turbojet engine FT270 | Frank Turbine FT270 | – | – | 2015-2024 | Innsbruck |
| Turbojet engine FT250 DV | Frank Turbine FT250 DV | – | – | – | Innsbruck |
| Turbojet engine FT400 | Frank Turbine FT400+ | – | – | – | Innsbruck |
| Turbojet engine FT450 | Frank Turbine FT450 | – | – | – | Innsbruck |
| Turbojet engine FT500 | Frank Turbine FT500 | – | – | 2020 | Innsbruck |
| Turbojet engine FT1500 | Frank Turbine FT1500 | – | – | – | Innsbruck |
| Historic engine development TJ 66 / TJ 67 / TJ 70 / TJ 70/16 / TJ 74 / TJ-74S / TJ-70 Raptor | Frank Turbine (Alfred Frank Modellturbinen) TJ series and FT header | – | – | 1995-2011 | Innsbruck |
Additional services
Company History
- 1992
First experiments by Alfred Frank using Kurt Schreckling's FMT design plan; basis of the development.
- 1994
First successful flight with a TurboTrainer.
- 1995
Construction of the first TJ 66 (turbocharger wheel, 5 kg thrust).
- 1997
Construction of the TJ 67.
- 1998
Development of the TJ 70.
- 2000
Founding of the company Alfred Frank Modellturbinen; development of the TJ 70/16 and TJ 74; sales launch of the TJ 70.
- 2001
Sales launch of the TJ-70/16.
- 2002
Development of the TJ-67-mini and the TJ70 Raptor.
- 2003
TJ-70 Raptor prototype with 19 kg thrust presented at Jetpower.
- 2005
Development of the TBS 400 by Robert Sturtzkopf.
- 2006
Development and sale of the TJ-74S.
- 2007
Development of the FT300 Herkules.
- 2008
Sales launch of the TJ-70 Raptor / FT300 Herkules.
- 2011
Name change: TJ-70 Raptor → FT180; TJ-70/16 and TJ-74S → FT160. From 1.9.2011 diesel operation possible.
- 2012
Further development of the FT180 into the FT220.
- 2015
Development of the FT250.
- 2017
Acquisition of the company by Ing. Mario Pasqualini, Innsbruck.
- 2020
Development of the FT500; sales launch in the USA with Ultimate Jets (Woody Lee), sales and service in Texas.
- 2022
Joining of Dipl.-Ing. Sandro Bombek.
- 2024
Founding of Frank Turbine GmbH.