T-MOTOR Navigator MN1315 KV100

The Navigator MN1315 KV100 from T-MOTOR, a Chinese maker, is a heavy-lift motor with protection rating IP45 for delivery, firefighting and agricultural spraying drones. The maker quotes up to 50 kg of maximum thrust per arm. It is designed for 14S and the VZ40x16.1 propeller.

The motor weighs 1,780 g and measures 150 x 51 mm. At KV 100 and 54.13 V that works out to about 5,400 rpm at no load. The maximum thrust of 50,170 g is a test-stand value at 247.74 A and 54.13 V, which is over 13 kW. Alongside it stands the power figure of 3,300 W for 180 s; the peak current of 248 A carries no time span of its own. For ESC, wiring and battery the current of the test point counts, not the lower power figure.

IP45 means protection against solid objects from 1 mm and against water jets; it covers the motor, not the ESC and battery. Aircraft of this thrust class often sit far above 25 kg take-off mass and need an operational authorisation in the specific category. Spraying plant protection products from the air is additionally subject in the EU to its own authorisation rules under plant protection law.

After work with spray products, the motor and the cable exit should be cleaned, since residues attack bearings, seals and insulation. On 14S with a 40-inch propeller, imbalance loads the bearings heavily. Also check the winding insulation under sustained heat and the bell's concentricity.