Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.

Avner Volovick

Amit Wolff

Lior Zivan

Guy Dekel

Yoav Efraty

Ehud Baharav

An air vehicle has an airframe, aerodynamic lift-generating wings, and a propulsion system. The propulsion system provides propulsion to the air vehicle in powered aerodynamic flight mode and in vectored flight mode, and stability and control in vectored flight mode. The propulsion system includes a first set of non-pivotable first propulsion units, arranged in polygonal arrangement with respect to the airframe, enclosing the air vehicle center of gravity, providing a fixed vertical thrust vector and an aggregate vertical thrust sufficient for enabling vectored flight mode. The propulsion system includes a second set of pivotable second propulsion units, arranged in spaced relationship with respect to the center of gravity, and provide vectored control moments to the air vehicle in three rotational degrees of freedom. The second propulsion units enable angular displacement of the respective thrust vectors at least between a respective vertical position and a respective horizontal position, and provide at least an aggregate horizontal thrust sufficient for providing powered aerodynamic flight mode.

Air vehicle and method of operation of air vehicle

A control system configured to control a deceleration process of an air vehicle which comprises at least one tiltable propulsion unit, each of the at least one tiltable propulsion units is tiltable to provide a thrust whose direction is variable at least between a general vertical thrust vector direction and a general longitudinal thrust vector direction with respect to the air vehicle.

System, a method and a computer program product for maneuvering of an air vehicle with tiltable propulsion unit

A control system configured to control an acceleration of an air vehicle which comprises a tiltable propulsion unit that is tiltable to provide a thrust whose direction is variable at least between a general vertical thrust vector direction and a general longitudinal thrust vector direction with respect to the air vehicle, the control system comprising: (a) an input interface for receiving information indicative of a monitored airspeed of the air vehicle; and (b) a control unit, configured to issue controlling commands to a controller of the tiltable propulsion unit for controlling the acceleration of the air vehicle.

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Petach Tikva, Israel

Avner Volovick