Disclosed is an electric aircraft, which includes a fuselage and at least one wing coupled to the fuselage. The electric aircraft includes a plurality of tilting fans coupled to the at least one wing, the plurality of tilting fans being configured to move between a vertical lift position and a forward flight position. The electric aircraft includes a plurality of tilting mechanisms coupled with at least one tilting fan. The electric aircraft includes a first actuator coupled to a first subset of the plurality of tilting mechanisms. The first subset of tilting mechanisms are identified among the plurality of tilting mechanisms according to a coupling scheme. The first actuator tilts a first group of tilting fans coupled to the first subset of the plurality of tilting mechanisms simultaneously.

An electric power conversion system comprising: an alternating current (AC) source comprising a plurality of AC terminals for conducting AC power; a voltage source electrically coupled to the AC terminals; and a controller operably coupled to the voltage source, the controller being configured to: operate the voltage source to apply a fault reducing voltage at the AC terminals that reduces an AC line-to-line fault current (I.sub.f).

A system includes multiple solid state power controller (SSPC) modules arranged in a distribution system architecture. The system also includes a distribution system controller communicatively coupled to the multiple SSPC modules. The distribution system controller is configured to detect a new or changed SSPC module among the multiple SSPC modules, send identification or configuration information about the new or changed SSPC module to a maintenance computer or a cockpit display, receive at least one input regarding a configuration for the new or changed SSPC module, store the configuration of the new or changed SSPC module in a non-volatile memory of the distribution system controller, and control the new or changed SSPC module according to the stored configuration.

An aircraft, such as a rotary-wing aircraft, may be selectably fitted with power modules that may be installed in or removed from corresponding openings in the aircraft fuselage. The power modules may be interchangeable with other power modules, The power modules may utilize different technologies or thermodynamic cycles to generate power, including electrical batteries, fuel cells, a turbine powered generator, a reciprocating engine-powered generator, a turbine engine, a reciprocating engine, or other electrical or mechanical sources of power. The power modules may transfer electrical or mechanical power to the aircraft to maintain the aircraft in flight or to provide propulsion to the aircraft. An aircraft control system may detect the installed power modules and adjust inceptors and displays to correspond to the installed power modules.

A smart battery includes a battery and a measurement module coupled to measure electrical characteristics of the battery. The smart battery also includes processing logic and a communication interface configured to receive the electrical characteristics and transmit the electrical characteristics to a receiver.

A power supply network for an aircraft, associated aircraft and control process, the network including a drive engine and an electric machine, the electric engine including a winding, the winding including at least three coils, the winding including a common midpoint for each coil. The network further including at least one converter, the or each converter being connected to the coils of the winding, loads connected to the or each converter, and an electronic control unit for the or each converter. The network also including connections of the midpoint of the or each winding to a ground power unit, and the electronic control unit is configured to control at least one converter in a voltage step-up operation.

An aircraft electric or hybrid propulsion architecture including at least two propulsion lines, each propulsion line including at least one electric motor supplied from at least two energy sources of the propulsion architecture through at least two energy supply paths, each energy supply path including at least one energy inverter, and one electrical protection delivering a DC voltage for a HVDC bus, each HVDC bus distributing this DC voltage to at least one electric motor through at least one energy inverter and one electrical protection, the propulsion architecture including at least partially dissimilar and preferably completely dissimilar energy supply paths.

An aerial vehicle electrical power system for use with a tethered aerial vehicle, and related methods are provided. The aerial vehicle electric power system includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) carried by an aerial vehicle. At least one electrical circuit is carried by the aerial vehicle. The at least one electrical circuit has a DC converter electrically in series with at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs. A tether is connected between the aerial vehicle and a power source positioned remote from the aerial vehicle. Electrical power is transmitted to the aerial vehicle and at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs through the tether. The electrical circuit minimizes variances in power supplied to the aerial vehicle and the plurality of LEDs.

A compact directed energy system is disclosed that is configured to generate directed energy beams. The compact directed energy system includes a radio frequency system configured to provide a directed energy beam in a frequency range between 500 MHz to 20 Ghz.

Electrical architecture for an aircraft with thermal/electrical hybrid propulsion, comprising, for each turbine engine: an aeroplane AC electrical network, at least one first electrical machine mechanically coupled to a high-pressure shaft of the turbine engine; at least one second electrical machine mechanically coupled to a low-pressure shaft of the turbine engine; a reversible AC/AC electrical energy conversion module; switch elements; and an electronic system for controlling the conversion module and the switch elements, configured to put the architecture: in at least one so-called power distribution hybridisation operating mode corresponding to a first configuration of the switch elements in which the at least one second machine is coupled to the aeroplane network and at least one first machine is coupled to the aeroplane network via the electrical energy conversion module.