Aircraft equipped with a distributed counterrotating unducted fan propulsion system
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsBrendan Michael Freely, Kurt David Murrow, Michael James McMahon, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow
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Abstract
An aircraft equipped with a distributed unducted fan propulsion system is provided. In one aspect, an aircraft includes a body defining a lateral centerline that separates the body into a first side and a second side. One or more first unducted fans are mounted to the first side of the body. The one or more first unducted fans are rotatable in a first direction. One or more second unducted fans are mounted to the second side of the body. The one or more second unducted fans are rotatable in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.
Claims20
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage;
- a first wing extending outward from the fuselage;
- a second wing extending outward from the fuselage opposite the first wing;
- a first set of one or more fans mounted to the first wing, the one or more first fans of the first set being rotatable in a first direction;
- and
- a second set of one or more fans mounted to the second wing, the one or more fans of the second set being rotatable in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.
An aircraft, comprising:
- a body defining a lateral centerline that separates the body into a first side and a second side;
- one or more first fans mounted to the first side of the body, the one or more first fans being rotatable in a first direction;
- and
- one or more second fans mounted to the second side of the body, the one or more second fans being rotatable in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.
A method of operating an aircraft defining a lateral centerline that separates the aircraft into a first side and a second side, the method comprising:
- rotating one or more unducted fans mounted to the first side of the aircraft in a first direction;
- and
- rotating one or more unducted fans mounted to the second side of the aircraft in a second direction opposite the first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.