Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Northrop Corporation

Northrup Grumman Corp.

Edison2 LLC

Corvidair Inc.

Aca Industries

Barnaby S Wainfan

Matthew N Mrdeza

Daniel Richard Rihn

Douglas Ellwood Shultz

Stephen P Grossman

Jeffry Scott Philhower

Stephen D Johnson

Douglas K Lee

Perry Bruce Petersen

Geoffrey S Sommer

Kenneth E Seho

Richard L Ranes

Ross Steven Reynolds

David H Graham

Douglas William Leggett

Kyle M Rahrig

Bruce S Rouleau

Daniel H Sokol

Yu Ping Liu

Charles Boccados

Michael J Sturm

Aaron Robert Munger

Myles Francis Schwendemann

John Hector Chauvin

Star Simpson

Warren W James

Martin James Georges

An extremely quiet short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft includes: two wings, wherein each wing comprises an engine system; a fuselage structurally connected to each wing; and a ducted fan thruster positioned on the fuselage in an orientation that is rotated relative to the typical orientation on a helicopter. An extremely quiet STOL aircraft includes: two wings, wherein each wing comprises an engine system; a fuselage structurally connected to each wing; channel shrouds surrounding at least one of the engine systems; and a ducted fan thruster positioned on the fuselage. An extremely quiet STOL aircraft includes: two wings, wherein each wing comprises an engine system, the engine system comprising two engine dual packs; a fuselage structurally connected to each wing; and a ducted fan thruster positioned on the fuselage.

Extremely quiet short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft

A high transport efficiency aircraft apparatus for precisely delivering a payload at a target area without stopping is disclosed. An aircraft is adapted to fly at low speed and less than 10 feet above ground level over the target area, with a delivery trajectory including a steep descent toward the target area and a steep ascent away from the target area. The aircraft includes a payload bay constructed to contain the payload within the aircraft, and a payload release mechanism adapted to release the payload from the payload bay when the aircraft flies over the target area, allowing the payload to fall and arrive unharmed at the target area unaided by an aerodynamic deceleration device.

High transport efficiency aircraft apparatus, systems and methods to precisely deliver cargo at a point in space without stopping

A ducted fan UAV that can be collapsed into a stowed configuration and then deployed for flight by, for example, inflating the duct to a deployed configuration. The UAV includes a plurality of rotor blades, a plurality of struts and a plurality of control vanes each being pivotally mounted to a center body by a hinge so that the rotor blades, the struts and the control vanes can be folded into the stowed configuration to be substantially parallel to the center body and be unfolded into the deployed configuration to be substantially perpendicular to the center body. The UAV also includes a pressurization system providing a pressurant to a chamber within the duct so as to inflate the duct and cause the struts, the rotor blades and the control vanes to move from the stowed configuration to the deployed configuration.

Collapsible ducted fan unmanned aerial system

A propeller which can be folded and stowed in compact form and then deployed for powered flight is disclosed. The deployable propeller has two or more blades, and each blade is composed of multiple segments which are disengaged when stowed and then interlock when deployed to form an efficient blade. The segmented deployable propeller retains all effective area to the spinner radius.

Deployable propeller

The process comprises the steps of: 1) launching the vehicle from the launch site using the first stage booster rocket engine system; 2) separating the at least one upper stage from the first stage booster; 3) terminating operation of the first booster stage rocket engine system; 4) turning the first stage booster back toward the launch site using the aerodynamic flight control system; 5) operating the first stage booster rocket engine system to boost the first stage booster to an altitude sufficient to allow non-powered flight back to the launch side; and 6) landing the first stage booster at the launch site.

Process for recovering a spacecraft first stage

Automobile

Unmanned air vehicle

Supersonic aircraft

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an aircraft engine air intake cover for use with an air intake which is characterized by an air velocity profile therewithin. The air intake cover is provided with an air induction plate which disposed across at least a portion of the air intake. The air intake cover is further provided with a multitude of air induction ducts. The induction ducts are disposed about and extend through the air induction plate. Each induction duct has a duct inlet, a duct outlet and a duct body interposed between the duct inlet and the duct outlet. The duct inlets each respectively define an effective inlet diameter. The duct bodies each respectively define a duct body length which is greater than the associated effective duct inlet diameter. The duct outlets each respectively define an effective outlet diameter greater than the effective inlet diameter for increasing the cohesiveness of the air velocity profile within the air intake.

Aircraft engine air intake system

An aerodynamic control system for an aircraft comprises a pair of low-aspect-ratio strakes integral with the fuselage, each of the strakes being substantially co-planar with an associated one of the wings and extending between a leading region generally blended with the trailing edge of the wing, a trailing edge and an outer edge. An aft airfoil is pivotally mounted to the trailing edge of each of the strakes movable between an extreme positive angle of attack position and an extreme negative angle of attack position. The aft airfoil includes an inner airfoil member which is laterally coextensive with said trailing edge of said associated strake and an outer airfoil member integral with the inner airfoil member which extends laterally beyond the outer edge of the associated strake. In one embodiment, the outer and inner airfoil members are substantially co-planar. In other embodiments, the outer airfoil member may be canted either upwardly or downwardly with respect to the inner airfoil member. In still other embodiments, the trailing edges of the strakes may either extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage, or extend forwardly or rearwardly with increasing distance away from the fuselage. Also, the strakes may have the construction of chines which are smoothly blended with the outer surface of the fuselage.

Aerodynamic control effector

A ram wing vehicle comprises a main structure extending between a nose end and a tail end, including an aerodynamic lifting body having an aspect ratio less than approximately 1.0 and extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The ratio of the thickness of the lifting body intermediate the leading edge and the trailing edge to the length of the chord thereof is greater than approximately 1:8. A propulsion source is provided adjacent the nose end for generating an efflux and for directing the efflux beyond the tail end in a direction away from the nose end. A directional control mechanism is positioned adjacent the nose end for turning the vehicle about the yaw axis into a curve having a center and so vectoring the efflux from the propulsion source as to direct the efflux to the outside of the turn and the nose end toward the center of the curve. The directional control mechanism includes a yaw control mechanism for vectoring the efflux from the propulsion means about the yaw axis and a pitch control mechanism for vectoring the efflux from the propulsion means about the pitch axis of the main structure. The vehicle has significant cargo carrying capacity and is capable of operating either in ground effect, over terrain, or on water.

Ram wing vehicle

Tactical aircraft decoy, conjugal tandem design

Tactical aircraft decoy (TAD)

Airplane

High lift producing apparatus for an aircraft includes a pair of foreplanes, one for each side of the aircraft, each foreplane extending between a root end at the fuselage and a distant tip end. Wings are mounted on the fuselage aft of the foreplanes and, intermediate the wings and the foreplanes, are a pair of strakes which are generally coplanar with their associated foreplanes and strakes, a leading edge of each strake being substantially coincident with a trailing edge of its associated foreplane, and a trailing edge of each strake being substantially coincident with a leading edge of its associated wing. The span of the strakes is smaller than the span of the foreplanes at the location of intersection of said strake and said foreplane. Each foreplane may be pivotally mounted on the fuselage at its root end on a stationary hinge axis which is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The foreplanes are thereby movable between inactive positions flush with a contoured outer surface of the fuselage and deployed positions at which tip ends are distant from the fuselage. The foreplanes may also be pivotally mounted on lateral axes for control purposes. In one instance, the foreplanes can be simultaneously moved in the same direction about their associated lateral axes to achieve pitch control of the aircraft; in other instances, they can be independently moved about their associated lateral axes to achieve either yaw control or roll control.

High-lift device for aircraft

Growing community of inventors

Long Beach, CA, United States of America

Barnaby S Wainfan