Leonardo DRS is the Leader in PM Machines
With a long history of designing and manufacturing PM machines, Leonardo DRS has the experience to design PM machines to your specifications making your program successful. DRS has successfully designed, built, and tested high-performance machines from 5HP self-contained integral pump motors to naval propulsion motors greater than 35MW. Proven in the harshest of environments, these machines have been utilized in a variety of diverse and demanding applications, including naval propulsion (above and below the surface), oil and gas, commercial marine, and land applications. In marine applications, DRS designs are highly integrated with the ship systems, helping to eliminate losses, improve power quality, and reduce the overall acquisition cost for a platform. Combined with industry-leading reliability and ruggedness, the DRS solution is the best choice for your application.
Permanent Magnet Machines Offer Significant Benefits
Superior Power Density
PM machines deliver more power per pound than any competing technology. With no rotor windings and a higher air gap magnetic flux density, the same output can be achieved in a dramatically smaller, lighter package — a decisive advantage in weight-critical applications like ship propulsion, ground vehicles, and aerospace.
Highest Efficiency in Class
Eliminating rotor excitation losses translates directly to real-world energy savings. In a head-to-head comparison at 50 kW and 6,000 rpm, a PM synchronous motor drive achieved 94.1% system efficiency versus 90.1% for an equivalent induction motor drive — a 43% reduction in total power losses. At scale, that efficiency gap compounds into significant fuel savings, reduced thermal management burden, and extended mission range.
Simplified Maintenance & Reliability
With no brushes, slip rings, or rotor windings to service, PM machines eliminate the components responsible for the vast majority of motor maintenance. A larger operating air gap also improves mechanical reliability and tolerance to misalignment compared to induction machines.
Superior Dynamic Performance
Higher magnetic flux density in the air gap and lower rotor inertia mean PM machines respond faster and more precisely to speed and torque commands — critical for propulsion systems that must react instantly to changing operational demands.
Dual-Use: Motor and Generator
Every PM machine operates equally well as a motor or a generator, giving system designers the flexibility to use a single machine for propulsion, power generation, or both — reducing parts count, logistics footprint, and total cost of ownership.
Superior Acoustics
Without windings on the rotor, PM machines can provide superior acoustic performance. This coupled with DRS’ experience in designing and building the quietest motors on the market, allows us to meet your structure-borne and air-borne requirements, assuring your project is a success.
PM Motor & Generator Solutions
PR-72 Series: Permanent Magnet Radial (PR) Motors & Generators
The Leonardo DRS PR72 series Permanent Magnet (PM) standard family of motors ranging from 500 kW to 9 MW at speeds up to 1,800 rpm utilize advanced PM technology with direct water-cooling and IEC Class H insulation to produce highly reliable and durable motors built for continuous-duty industrial service.
The PR72 series motors are ideal for marine propulsion, Hybrid Electric Drives (HED), power generation, pumping, hoisting, and drilling applications in the defense and commercial markets. Superior efficiency (>96%) translates to lower energy consumption and reduced operating costs over the motor’s 25-year design service life.
IED-LS 100 Series: Integrated Electric Drive Motors
Our IED-LS 100 Series Permanent Magnet (PM) motors deliver power-dense, line-shaft mounted propulsion from 5–31 MW in a simple, gearless powertrain that reduces maintenance and integration complexity.
The Leonardo DRS IED-LS 100 Series PM family ranges from 5 MW to 31 MW and is hard-mounted directly to the ship’s foundation, making installation and alignment easier, while still prioritizing shock survivability and quiet operation. Freshwater-cooling and IEC Class H insulation deliver reliable, continuous duty propulsion for full-electric Integrated Electric Drive (IED) ships and Hybrid Electric Drive (HED) ships.
HED-LS Series: Hybrid Electric Drive Motors
Our HED-LS Permanent Magnet (PM) motors are lightweight, compact, and power-dense, hard-mounted directly to the ship’s foundation in a simple, gearless arrangement that reduces maintenance and integration complexity. These machines are highly efficient and ideal for hybrid electric drive architectures where shock survivability and acoustic performance are top priorities.
The design readily adapts to advanced MIL-SPEC requirements for shock, EMI, vibration, and acoustic survivability. It draws on proven heritage, with lineage traced to fielded and performing programs and decades of Leonardo DRS investment in R&D.
PA Series: Permanent Magnet Axial (PA) Series PM Motors and Generators
Deliver more power per pound with continuous high torque, even at a stall.
The Leonardo DRS PA Series machines utilize a rotor disc adjacent to the stator windings to provide higher power densities and its unique “pancake” form factor. Lightweight and compact, the Permanent Magnet Axial (PA) was built to last under the world’s most demanding applications.
And since the PA rotor uses permanent magnets, it works equally well as a generator, making it the ideal choice for mobile generator sets, traction systems, cranes, elevators and lifts.
The PA series is ideal for applications requiring high precision and/or high torque, at a low weight and small size.
Download Marine data sheet
Download Oil & Gas data sheet
Download Commercial data sheet
Proven by years of reliable performance in harsh, rugged applications, the Leonardo DRS PA44-625 permanent magnet motor producing 625 HP (466kW) and at only 395 lbs., is one of the most power dense motors available in industry today. For higher power needs the PA44-625 can be installed back to back to achieve 1,250 HP (932kW) of power.
| Rated at 1,000 HP (750kW), the Leonardo DRS PA57-1,000 permanent magnet motor with years of service in transit hybrid electric propulsion, is ideal for hybrid electric and propulsion systems for all applications up to 2,000 HP (1.5MW) with two motors coupled together. |  |
With a long history of robust Variable Frequency Drives, Leonardo DRS offers several options to support all your power conversion requirements for the PA series motors and generators. The MD500A VFD is a significant upgrade of the MD500 VFD that has been coupled with the PA44 for over 20 years in Oil and Gas applications. The Silicon Carbide PEM drives offer compact size using the latest in VFD technologies configured to drive both the PA44-625 and the PA57-1000 to solve all your propulsion and power needs.
Matched Variable Frequency Drives
Our PM motors are operated with a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) and can operate with multiple drive arrangements for maximum configurability. While our PM Motors can be operated with a customer-supplied VFD, Leonardo DRS can provide a VFD matched to the motor for optimum system performance.
Legacy Motors
Permanent Magnet Radial Field Embedded Magnet (PRE) Series Motors
Available in Industry Standard Footprint
The PRE series Permanent Magnet (PM) motor with its impressive power density is designed for new applications where higher performance is desired and for retrofit applications where more power is desired in an existing space. The PRE series motors are built on an industry standard footprint and mounting flang, and blower cooled for added ease and flexibility in installation.
In addition, these machines are designed for use with commercial off-the-shelf variable frequency drives. Remove your old motor, install the Leonardo DRS machine and power up.
Permanent Magnet Cup (PC) Series PM Motors and Generators
The Leonardo DRS PC Series machines utilize a cylindrical rotor and stator with the stator positioned inside the rotor. This configuration illustrates the design flexibility PM machines offer coupled with Leonardo DRS PM design experience providing the opportunity to provide compact, efficient and robust machines for your needs.
Permanent Magnet (PM) Machines for Ground Vehicle Power and Propulsion
Leonardo DRS permanent magnet (PM) machines are optimized for their application, whether it is electrical power generation or vehicle propulsion. From the beginning, we have designed and built a wide variety of machines for vehicle propulsion and power. From tracked vehicles to wheel station motors, direct drive or through a gear box, Leonardo DRS has designed, built and tested them all. We do not focus on one architecture; rather, we specialize in axial gap (PA) machines, radial (PR) machines, cup (PC) machines at slow or high speed, with or without bearings, in form factors to meet the customers’ needs.
Leonardo DRS specializes in machine architecture/optimization, working with our customers to provide an optimized system solution. We are experts at architecture/optimization, vendor selection/team building, program management, system engineering, risk management, configuration management, systems integration and test, certification, integrated life-cycle support and other services required to integrate a vehicle’s entire electrical power and propulsion system.
Request Information
Looking for more information on Permanent Magnet Technologies? We would like to hear from you.
Related News
Contact
For any further information