Fluid systems are described herein. An example embodiment of a fluid system has a first body portion, a second body portion, a plurality of supports, a plurality of fluid pressurizers, and a plurality of ducts. The first body portion and the second body portion cooperatively define an injection opening, a suction opening, and a channel that extends from the injection opening to the suction opening. The fluid pressurizer is disposed within the channel cooperatively defined by the first body portion and the second body portion. Each duct of the plurality of ducts is disposed within the channel cooperatively defined by the first body portion and the second body portion.

A quad tiltrotor aircraft has a longitudinally extending fuselage with forward and aft stations. A forward wing having first and second outboard ends extends laterally from the forward station. An aft wing having first and second outboard ends extends laterally from the aft station. First and second forward rotors are respectively coupled proximate the first and second outboard ends of the forward wing and are tiltable relative to the forward wing between vertical lift and forward thrust orientations. First and second aft rotors are respectively coupled proximate the first and second outboard ends of the aft wing and are tiltable relative to the aft wing between vertical lift and forward thrust orientations. The forward rotors are higher disk-loading rotors than the aft rotors. The aft rotors are foldable in the forward flight mode to provide extended range for the quad tiltrotor aircraft.

Fluid systems are described herein. An example embodiment of a fluid system has a first body portion, a second body portion, a plurality of supports, a plurality of fluid pressurizers, and a plurality of ducts. The first body portion and the second body portion cooperatively define an injection opening, a suction opening, and a channel that extends from the injection opening to the suction opening. The fluid pressurizer is disposed within the channel cooperatively defined by the first body portion and the second body portion. Each duct of the plurality of ducts is disposed within the channel cooperatively defined by the first body portion and the second body portion.

A bladeless unmanned aerial vehicle includes a body and two or more thruster assemblies coupled to the body. The thruster assemblies each includes a ducted fan compressor and a discharge frame. The discharge frames may be bladeless fans or may be nozzles. The discharge frames may be positioned substantially vertically, tilted at an angle about an axis extending radially from the center of the body, and/or angled in a vertical plane aligned with an axis extending radially from the center of the body.

A propulsion and lift system of a tiltrotor aircraft includes a wing having an outboard end, a wing tip assembly having an inboard end, a fixed nacelle coupled to the wing tip assembly and a wing-nacelle splice assembly having inboard and outboard sides. The inboard side of the wing-nacelle splice assembly is coupled to the outboard end of the wing, and the outboard side of the wing-nacelle splice assembly is coupled to the inboard end of the wing tip assembly, thereby coupling the fixed nacelle to the wing.

In some embodiment, an aircraft includes a flying frame having an airframe, a distributed propulsion system attached to the airframe, the distributed propulsion system including a plurality of propulsion assemblies and a flight control system operably associated with the distributed propulsion system. The flying frame has a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a forward flight mode. The flight control system is operable to independently control the propulsion assemblies. The flight control system is also operable to detect faults in individual propulsion assemblies and to perform corrective action responsive to detected faults at a distributed propulsion system level.

Vertical take-off aircraft provided with canards (1) and primary wings (2), which primary wings (2) are provided with two or more primary thrusters (20). The primary wings (2) are rotatable alternately in a vertical configuration for vertical flight mode and in a horizontal configuration for horizontal flight mode. The canards (1) in said vertical flight mode are arranged substantially parallel to a plane perpendicular to the flight direction, each canard (1) being provided with a secondary thruster (10) oriented for vertical flight mode and at least partially comprised in the profile of the canard (1) itself.

The presently disclosed embodiments relate to vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that have the capability of hovering in both a nose forward and a nose up orientation, and any orientation between those two. The disclosed aircraft can also transition into wing born (non-hovering) flight from any of the hovering orientations. In addition, certain of the disclosed embodiments can, if desired, use only vectored thrust control to maintain stable flight in both hover and forward flight. No control surfaces (e.g. ailerons, elevators, rudders, flaps) are required to maintain a stable vehicle attitude. However, the disclosure contemplates aircraft both with and without such control surfaces.

A fuselage, a support part supporting the fuselage, a thrust generation unit including fore, aft, left, and right thrust generators, and a flight controller controlling the unit are included. The fore, aft, left, and right thrust generators are respectively positioned on first, second, third, and fourth axes respectively extending in support part fore and aft, fore and aft, left and right, and left and right directions. The generators are respectively at the support part front, back, left, and right. The generators respectively generate thrust in directions intersecting the first, second, third, and fourth axes and can change thrust magnitude and direction around them. All generators are connected to the support part.

An aircraft includes a fuselage and a pair of symmetric fixed wings. The fuselage includes a head and a tail spaced from the head along a longitudinal axis. Each fixed wing extends along a lateral axis. The fuselage further includes a top and a bottom spaced from the top along a vertical axis. Each symmetric fixed wing includes a first propelling mechanism mounted thereto. Each first propelling mechanism is operable to pitch about the lateral axis together with one of the symmetric fixed wings or to pitch independently about the lateral axis. A simple control device is mounted along the longitudinal axis between a center of gravity of the fuselage and the tail and is configured to generate a resistance to a torque between the center of gravity of the fuselage and the head. The simple control device is selectively operable to generate an upward or downward control torque.