One variation of a system for generating thrust at an aerial vehicle includes: a primary electric motor; a rotor coupled to the motor; an internal-combustion engine; a disengagement mechanism interposed between the motor and an output shaft of the internal-combustion engine; an cooling shroud defining a shroud inlet between the rotor and the internal-combustion engine, extending over the internal-combustion engine, and defining a cooling shroud outlet opposite the rotor; a cooling fan coupled and configured to displace air through the cooling shroud; and a local controller configured to receive a rotor speed command specifying a target rotor speed, adjust a throttle setpoint of the internal-combustion engine according to the target rotor speed and a state of charge of a battery in the aerial vehicle, and drive the primary electric motor to selectively output torque to the rotor and to regeneratively brake the rotor according to the target rotor speed.

A hybrid electric engine control module (ECU) configured to be operatively connected to a hybrid electric aircraft powerplant having a heat engine system and an electric motor system to control a torque output from each of the heat engine system and the electric motor system. The ECU can be configured to receive a torque command and split output power between the electric motor system and the heat engine system. Additionally and/or alternatively, the ECU can be configured to balance a total torque against a second total torque of a second aircraft powerplant.

A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber the combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell stack that has a plurality of fuel cells each extending between an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end receives a flow of air and fuel and the outlet end provides output products to the combustion chamber. The fuel cell assembly further includes an electrical circuit that is electrically coupled to the plurality of fuel cells and that extends through the casing.

An aircraft propulsion system includes first and second engines and first and second electrical machines coupled to the first and second engines respectively. The first electrical machine is arranged to be driven by electrical power in order to at least partially drive the first engine. The second electrical machine is arranged to be driven by the second engine to generate electrical power. An electrical network allows transmission of electrical power between the electrical machines. A controller is arranged to selectively reduce fuel flow to the first engine and provide electrical power from the second electrical machine to the first electrical machine to drive the first electrical machine, based on expected properties of contrails formed in an exhaust plume of the first engine and/or the second engine. The system allows the formation of contrails by the engines to be managed in order to mitigate climate-warming effects of the contrails.

UAV configurations and battery augmentation for UAV internal combustion engines, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative configuration includes a fuselage, first and second wings coupled to and pivotable relative to the fuselage, and a plurality of lift rotors carried by the fuselage. A representative battery augmentation arrangement includes a DC-powered motor, an electronic speed controller, and a genset subsystem coupled to the electronic speed controller. The genset subsystem can include a battery set, an alternator, and a motor-gen controller having a phase control circuit configurable to rectify multiphase AC output from the alternator to produce rectified DC feed to the DC-powered motor. The motor-gen controller is configurable to draw DC power from the battery set to produce the rectified DC feed.

A control for a hybrid turbo electric aero-propulsion system prioritizes and optimizes the operating parameters, according to a desired optimization objective, for and across a number of different control optimization subsystems of the hybrid turbo electric aero-propulsion system. The control subsystems may include, for example, a propulsion control optimization subsystem and a power plant control optimization subsystem. The optimizations may be based on a system model, which is developed and updated during the operation of the hybrid turbo electric aero-propulsion system.

Systems, methods, and devices are provided that combine an advance vehicle configuration, such as an advanced aircraft configuration, with the infusion of electric propulsion, thereby enabling a four times increase in range and endurance while maintaining a full vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and hover capability for the vehicle. Embodiments may provide vehicles with both VTOL and cruise efficient capabilities without the use of ground infrastructure. An embodiment vehicle may comprise a wing configured to tilt through a range of motion, a first series of electric motors coupled to the wing and each configured to drive an associated wing propeller, a tail configured to tilt through the range of motion, a second series of electric motors coupled to the tail and each configured to drive an associated tail propeller, and an electric propulsion system connected to the first series of electric motors and the second series of electric motors.

The invention relates to an aircraft comprising a fuselage (1), a plurality of propeller units (3) that can pivot in relation to the fuselage (1), and wings (5) that can pivot at least partially in relation to the fuselage (1) and independently of the propeller units (3).

A system for providing regenerative power for an aircraft to sustain flight includes multiple energy cells disposed within the aircraft, the energy cells being configured to supply power to a propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft, a fan generator harnessing propeller blast created by an aircraft propeller and converting kinetic energy of the propeller blast into electrical energy, a charger receiving the electrical energy generated by the fan generator and using the electrical energy to recharge one or more of the energy cells, and a power transfer switch selectively connecting one of the energy cells to the propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft, such that the energy cells are rotated one at a time to power the propulsion motor and electronics. During recharging, the one or more of the energy cells are disconnected by the power transfer switch.

Hybrid aircraft power plants are provided together with associated systems and methods for operating such hybrid aircraft power plants. A hybrid aircraft power plant includes a thermal engine, an electric motor and one or more controllers operatively connected to the thermal engine and to the electric motor. The thermal engine and the electric motor are drivingly connected to an air mover of an aircraft via a combining gear train. The one or more controllers are configured to govern an actual output torque of the electric motor to reduce an error between a target operating speed for the air mover and an actual operating speed of the air mover, and govern an output of the thermal engine to reduce an error between a target output torque for the electric motor and the actual output torque of the electric motor.