A system for bistatic radar target detection employs an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a ramjet providing supersonic cruise of the UAV. Deployable antenna arms support a passive radar receiver for bistatic reception of reflected radar pulses. The UAV operates with a UAV flight profile in airspace beyond a radar range limit. The deployable antenna arms have a first retracted position for supersonic cruise and are adapted for deployment to a second extended position acting as an airbrake and providing boresight alignment of the radar receiver. A mothership aircraft has a radar transmitter for transmitting radar pulses and operates with an aircraft flight profile outside the radar range limit. A communications data link operably interconnects the UAV and the tactical mothership aircraft, transmitting data produced by the bistatic reception of reflected radar pulses in the UAV radar antenna to the mothership aircraft.

A flight vehicle has an engine that includes air inlet, an isolator (or diffuser) downstream of the air inlet, and a combustor downstream of the isolator. The isolator includes a bulged region that has at least one dimension, perpendicular to the direction of the air flow from the inlet to the combustor, that is at a local maximum, larger than comparable isolator dimensions both upstream and downstream of the bulged region. The bulged region stabilizes shocks within the isolator, and facilitates flow mixing. The flow diversion of high energy flow around the outermost walls of the bulged section into the center of the flow at the aft end of the isolator, increases mixing of the flow, and results in a more consistent flow profile entering the combustor over a wide range of flight conditions (Mach, altitude, angle-of-attack, yaw) and throttle settings.

Provided herein are various new or improved airbreathing and non-airbreathing engines. In another example, a new type of rotary engine is provided and is assembled into a single body from manufactured parts and comprising front and rear non-vented case plates, a detonation channel, a center case plate, a rotary gate valve spacer plate, front and rear bearing cover plates, front and rear centrifugal fan bearings and a non-vented centrifugal flywheel fan. The front non-vented case plate and the detonation channel includes an air intake port. The center case plate comprises an adjustable fuel aerosolizing combustor - detonator. The non-vented centrifugal flywheel fan comprises a plurality of rotary gate valves, a plurality of radial fan blades and a splined drive shaft. The rotary engine also comprises a plurality of case plate bolts, case plate post spacers, case plate nuts and bearing cover plate bolts.

An aircraft includes a fuselage and an engine housed in the fuselage. A ram-air engine inlet is formed on an exterior of the fuselage. The ram-air engine inlet is defined, at least in part, by a cowling door. The cowling door is moveable between a closed position and an open position. An intake duct fluidly couples the ram-air engine inlet to the engine. A filter is disposed across the intake duct. A bypass duct is formed in the ram-air engine inlet aft of the intake duct. The bypass duct is operable to be selectively opened and closed.

The jet engine comprising a ramjet air path extending from an intake, into a combustion chamber, and out an exhaust nozzle, a fuel inlet leading into the combustion chamber, an oxidizer inlet leading into the combustion chamber and a partition being operable to selectively close the ramjet air path upstream of the combustion chamber to allow operation of the jet engine in rocket mode and open the ramjet air path to allow operation of the jet engine in ramjet mode.

A jet engine has an inlet 11 configured to introduce air, and a combustor 12 having a fuel injection port 30a that injects a fuel, and configured to combust the fuel injected from the fuel injection port 30a by using the air. The combustor 12 has a separation section 14 defining the air passage FA through which the air flows, between a rear end 15 of the inlet and the fuel injection port 30a. A plurality of turbulent flow generating sections (20;25) are arranged in the separation section 14 to makes the air flow turbulent. Each of the plurality of turbulent flow generating sections (20;25) contains a member (21;22;25B) which can restrain the turbulence of the air flow by moving or disappearing. It can be prevented that a high-pressure region reaches the inlet so that the thrust of the jet engine is reduced.

An air inlet for a flight vehicle engine includes at least one fin, at least partially upstream of a throat of the engine. The fin protrudes into a flow channel, extending beyond a boundary layer into the main airstream in the inlet. The fin causes mixing in the flow, bringing high-momentum flow into areas of the flow channel containing low-momentum flow by aggregating the boundary layer and causing it to lift from the surface. The fin may have a width and/or height that varies along its length in the flow direction, which may allow it to shape the flow around it in predictable ways, without resulting in excessive drag.

A detonation engine includes at least one chamber wall and a first detonation chamber defined by the at least one chamber wall, the first detonation chamber having a first end and a second end. The first detonation chamber is linear, curved, or includes a plurality of detonation chamber segments that are linear and/or curved, and the detonation engine is configured such that detonation repeatedly propagates from the first end of the first detonation chamber to the second end of the first detonation chamber.

A ramjet engine and system and method for operation is generally provided. The ramjet includes a longitudinal wall extended along a lengthwise direction. The longitudinal wall defines an inlet section, a combustion section, and an exhaust section. A fuel nozzle assembly is extended from the longitudinal wall. The fuel nozzle assembly defines a nozzle throat area. The fuel nozzle assembly is moveable along a radial direction to adjust the nozzle throat area based at least on a difference in pressure of a flow of fluid at an inlet of the inlet section and a pressure of the flow of fluid at the fuel nozzle assembly.

A dual flow path exhaust assembly for use with a combined turbofan and ramjet engine includes a turbofan engine exhaust duct, a ramjet engine exhaust duct, a combined outlet, and door configured to move between an open position and a closed position to selectively isolate the turbofan engine exhaust duct from the combined outlet.