Rocket-turbine-powered VTOL aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11713114-B2
Application number	US-202117196643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2021
Priority date	Mar 11, 2020
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A vertical-takeoff-and-landing (“VTOL”) aircraft including a non-VTOL aircraft equipped for forward takeoff and flight and a modular boom system interoperably coupled to the non-VTOL aircraft. The modular boom system includes a first modular boom and a second modular boom. The first modular boom includes a first rocket-turbine engine. The first modular boom is mounted to a first wing of the non-VTOL aircraft. The second modular boom includes a second rocket-turbine engine. The second modular boom is mounted to a second wing of the non-VTOL aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vertical-takeoff-and-landing (“VTOL”) aircraft comprising:
a non-VTOL aircraft equipped with an engine selected from the group consisting of internal combustion piston engines, room temperature electric machines, and gas turbines, the engine being for forward takeoff and flight; and
a modular boom system interoperably coupled to the non-VTOL aircraft, the modular boom system comprising:
a first modular boom comprising a first rocket-turbine engine, the first modular boom mounted to a first wing of the non-VTOL aircraft; and
a second modular boom comprising a second rocket-turbine engine, the second modular boom mounted to a second wing of the non-VTOL aircraft;

wherein:
the first modular boom comprises a first-modular-boom fore propeller and a first-modular-boom aft propeller, the first-modular-boom fore propeller and the first-modular-boom aft propeller being driven by the first rocket-turbine engine; and
the second modular boom comprises a second-modular-boom fore propeller and a second-modular-boom aft propeller, the second-modular-boom fore propeller and the second-modular-boom aft propeller being driven by the second rocket-turbine engine.

2. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the modular boom system is permanently attached to the non-VTOL aircraft.

3. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the modular boom system has been retrofitted to the non-VTOL aircraft.

4. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the modular boom system is equipped to be jettisoned from the non-VTOL aircraft after the non-VTOL aircraft has taken off.

5. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1 , wherein:
the first modular boom comprises a first-modular-boom fore propeller and a first-modular-boom aft propeller, the first-modular-boom fore propeller and the first-modular-boom aft propeller being driven by the first rocket-turbine engine; and
the second modular boom comprises a second-modular-boom fore propeller and a second-modular-boom aft propeller, the second-modular-boom fore propeller and the second-modular-boom aft propeller being driven by the second rocket-turbine engine.

6. The VTOL aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first rocket-turbine engine, the second rocket-turbine engine, and engine of the non-VTOL aircraft use the same fuel source.

7. A vertical-takeoff-and-landing (“VTOL”) aircraft comprising:
a non-VTOL aircraft equipped with an engine selected from the group consisting of internal combustion piston engines, room temperature electric machines, and gas turbines, the engine being for forward takeoff and flight; and
a modular boom mounted to the non-VTOL aircraft and comprising:
a rocket turbine engine; and
a first-modular-boom fore propeller and a first-modular-boom aft propeller, the first-modular-boom fore propeller and the first-modular-boom aft propeller being driven by the rocket-turbine engine.

8. The VTOL aircraft of claim 7 , wherein the modular boom comprises a propeller driven by the rocket-turbine engine.

9. The VTOL aircraft of claim 7 , wherein the modular boom is permanently attached to the non-VTOL aircraft.

10. The VTOL aircraft of claim 7 , wherein the modular boom has been retrofitted to the non-VTOL aircraft.

11. The VTOL aircraft of claim 7 , wherein the modular boom is equipped to be jettisoned from the non-VTOL aircraft after the non-VTOL aircraft has taken off.

12. The VTOL aircraft of claim 7 , wherein the rocket-turbine engine and the engine of the non-VTOL aircraft use the same fuel source.

Assignees

• Textron Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Schank Troy Cyril

Classifications

• B64C29/0025 Primary

  the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage · CPC title

• B64C29/0016 Primary

  the lift during taking-off being created by free or ducted propellers or by blowers · CPC title

• B64U50/15

  using combustion exhausts other than turbojets or turbofans, e.g. using rockets, ramjets, scramjets or pulse-reactors · CPC title

• B64U70/80

  Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets (rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20) · CPC title

• B64U10/25

  Fixed-wing aircraft (VTOL aircraft B64U10/20) · CPC title