• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to footer

Technologies.org

Technology Trends: Follow the Money

  • Sponsored Post
    • Make a Contribution
    • Technology Job Posting
  • Technology Events 2022-2023
  • Technology Domains
  • Technology Markets
  • Venture Capital
  • Contact
    • About

Distributed Propulsion Aircraft Comes to Market, Discussed by IDTechEx

June 18, 2021 By Technologies.org Leave a Comment

BOSTON – Multiple thrusters are one thing. In vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), they reduce the efficiency deficit with helicopters, providing unmatched redundancy and stability in wind. However, the term distributed propulsion (DP) primarily refers to a fundamentally new form of wing that intimately blends aerodynamics with thrust and zero emissions. The many benefits multiply on each other. Consider more than four propellers with their own motors along the wings and sometimes even along the tailplane. That is now affordable, reliable, and practicable. Not so with jet turbines or piston engines.

Each propeller leaves a wake behind it. Air is accelerated generating thrust and, over the wing, lift. Newly possible propulsion units along the wing enable a 10% reduction in wing size – a narrower, lower-cost, lighter wing. 10% less friction drag and better control can be taken in short takeoff and landing, longer range, and/or lower aircraft cost. Enjoy enhanced safety from multiple thrust redundancy.

The first major mission undertaken with a six-propeller electric aircraft was German-Swiss Solar Impulse. Its pilot circumnavigated the world in huge hops five years ago on sunshine and battery alone. The modern equivalent of that has just been announced but without the expense of the solar, at least initially. Aura Aero of France promises its 6-propeller 19-seater Electrical Regional Aircraft will perform maiden flight 2024, entry-into-service 2026. Another 6-propeller, fixed-wing aircraft is the Lange Research Antares 2 using fuel cells. Studies by the aerospace institute DLR in Germany show that wings with six or more propellers can even facilitate half the size of the tail fin with more reduction in weight and drag.

Some benefit in fixed-wing aircraft even comes from three carefully deployed thrusters. The nine-passenger Eviation Alice battery aircraft being developed in Israel has a narrow wing and no tail fin – just a V tail – thanks to a thruster at each wingtip and pusher at the back. It can fly on just that pusher. Indeed, NASA recommends that the larger DP aircraft with multiple wing thrusters should use only the wing-tip thrusters for an economical cruise. It sees them made larger than the others to exploit wingtip vortices.

Archer Aviation and Wisk Aero plan similar tilt-wing battery VTOLs with six propellers permitting just a V tail. Archer claims a $1 billion order from United Airlines for what it intends to develop but Boeing investment Wisk has sued it for theft of intellectual property. See the IDTechEx report, “Air Taxis: Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft 2021-2041” for more, which includes an appraisal of an extreme case of DP micro-control of aerodynamics intimately integrated with thrust – Lilium of Germany. This VTOL with 36 thrusters in tilt wings and tilt tailplane dispenses with both flaps and tail fin.

Airbus has pictured its dream that DP inside the wing can be scaled to large fixed-wing electric airliners. SAFRAN expects 100 seat embedded-DP airliners beyond 2040. NASA agrees, drawing similar airliners for launch after 2040 even as 300MW 300 seaters. On the way to all that, the IDTechEx report, “Manned Electric Aircraft: Smart City and Regional 2021-2041” details the technology and demand leaping from near-zero to a $30 billion electric-aircraft business in 2041.

For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Aircraft, or for the full portfolio of Electric Vehicle research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/EV.

About IDTechEx
IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com.

SOURCE IDTechEx

Related

Filed Under: Tech

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Recent Posts

  • Samsung Electronics and Red Hat Announce Collaboration in the Field of Next-Generation Memory Software
  • AWS Announces General Availability of Amazon EC2 C7g Instances Powered by AWS-designed Graviton3 Processors
  • Infinitum Electric Raises $80M in Series D Funding Led by Riverstone Holdings to Scale Production of Sustainable Motors
  • Introducing IonQ Forte, Improving Quantum Performance with a Software-Configurable Dynamic Laser System
  • Cloudflare Unveils New SQL Database Offering
  • Cloudflare announces Workers for Platforms
  • Intel is rolling out new processors designed for data centers
  • EU moves to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels
  • A New Hydrogen-Powered Behemoth
  • BAE Systems to Bring Next-Generation Electric Drive System to Heavy-Duty Industrial Vehicle Market

Media Partners

  • VPNW
  • S3H
  • OPINT
  • Press Media Release
  • OSINT
  • Digital Market
  • Briefly

Media Partners

  • Technology Conferences
  • Event Sharing Network
  • Defense Conferences
  • Cybersecurity Events
  • Event Calendar
  • Calendarial
  • Opinion
  • Venture Capital

Copyright © 2015 Technologies.org

Technologies, Market Analysis & Market Research Reports

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT