Heavy-lift UAS
Heavy-lift drone motors, built in the UK.
Heavy-lift drones — survey platforms, cargo lifters, agricultural sprayers, industrial inspection rigs — depend on large brushless motors that today are sourced almost entirely from China. Exsabre is building a UK-designed, UK-wound alternative on an allied supply chain.
Why heavy-lift is different
Heavy-lift UAS typically operate in the 10–50 kg MTOW range with large propellers (20"+), low KV motors (80–250 KV) and high-voltage battery packs (12S and above). At this scale, motor reliability, thermal margin and supply provenance matter as much as raw thrust.
Sizing heavy-lift motors
A practical starting point: target a thrust-to-weight ratio between 2:1 and 2.5:1 at MTOW, and size each motor to deliver that thrust at no more than ~70% throttle so you keep headroom for wind, manoeuvring and single-motor degradation.
Use the MTOW & motor calculator to get starting values for required thrust per motor, hover power, peak power, and a starting KV / voltage / prop band for your platform.
The sovereignty angle
For UK military and dual-use programmes, propulsion provenance is now a procurement question. Exsabre exists to offer a UK-built, allied supply chain alternative for the motors that make a heavy-lift drone fly — without the geopolitical exposure of Chinese-sourced parts.