Propulsion system with integrated rocket accelerator

• Main Authors: BECKEL STEPHEN A, BLEVINS JAMES D, VERDI THOMAS
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.03.2009
• Subjects: AEROPLANES; AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; COSMONAUTICS; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HELICOPTERS; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TRANSPORTING

The present invention relates to a propulsion system for a vehicle. The propulsion system has an airframe integrated hydrocarbon fueled airbreathing engine, such as a ramjet or a scramjet. The propulsion system further has at least one rocket positioned so as to use the aft body contour of the vehicle directly for flow expansion. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of rockets are arrayed across the width of the engine nozzle.