An aerial vehicle including a main body having a leading edge. An inlet is recessed aft from the leading edge. Forward protrusions extend from the main body on opposite sides of the inlet. An outlet nozzle is proximate to an aft end. The inlet is in fluid communication with the outlet nozzle. Wings extend from the main body.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a UAV body, a propeller, an engine, a motor and a battery. The engine includes an engine body and an engine output shaft arranged on the engine body. The motor includes a stator, a rotor and a stator connector. The UAV provides the motor rotor, propeller and engine output shaft to be coaxially connected, and the motor can be used as a generator to charge the battery by doing negative work on the engine output shaft, or as an electric motor, that is, to receive the power of the battery and do positive work on the engine output shaft to realize power output, so that the UAV can realize high energy utilization and power redundancy at the same time.

Unmanned aircraft have aligned forward and aft propulsion systems possessing different performance and/or noise characteristics. According to some embodiments, unmanned aircraft have a forward engine and a forward tractor propeller and an aft engine and an aft pusher propeller. Selected ones of forward and aft propulsion systems will thus be provided to have greater and lesser operational flight performance characteristics and greater and lesser noise signature characteristics, respectively, as compared to the other. For example, the forward propulsion system may be provided with the greater operational flight performance and higher signature characteristics as compared to the aft propulsion system, while conversely the aft propulsion system may be provided with a lesser flight performance and lower noise signature characteristics as compared to the forward propulsion system.

The invention relates to a method for controlling aircraft. A specified flight position of the aircraft is compared with a piece of geographical height information corresponding to the provided flight position. The piece of geographical height information is obtained from a set of pieces of height information, said set corresponding to a geographical area, wherein for a first part of the geographical area, the set of pieces of height information indicates a piece of relevant geographical height information and for a second part of the geographical area, the set indicates a piece of height information deviating from the actual geographical height. The second part of the geographical area comprises a first special area, in which the aircraft is only permitted to operate to a limited degree. The height information deviating from the actual geographical height is evaluated in order to actuate an operating component of the aircraft such that the aircraft complies with the limitation when the aircraft is operated in the first special area. The invention additionally relates to a corresponding control system.

The invention relates to a method for controlling aircraft. A specified flight position of the aircraft is compared with a piece of geographical height information corresponding to the provided flight position. The piece of geographical height information is obtained from a set of pieces of height information, said set corresponding to a geographical area, wherein for a first part of the geographical area, the set of pieces of height information indicates a piece of relevant geographical height information and for a second part of the geographical area, the set indicates a piece of height information deviating from the actual geographical height. The second part of the geographical area comprises a first special area, in which the aircraft is only permitted to operate to a limited degree. The height information deviating from the actual geographical height is evaluated in order to actuate an operating component of the aircraft such that the aircraft complies with the limitation when the aircraft is operated in the first special area. The invention additionally relates to a corresponding control system.

Sounds are generated by an aerial vehicle during operation. For example, the motors and propellers of an aerial vehicle generate sounds during operation. Disclosed are systems, methods, and apparatus for actively adjusting the position and/or configuration of one or more propeller blades of a propulsion mechanism to generate different sounds and/or lifting forces from the propulsion mechanism.

Sounds are generated by an aerial vehicle during operation. For example, the motors and propellers of an aerial vehicle generate sounds during operation. Disclosed are systems, methods, and apparatus for actively adjusting the position and/or configuration of one or more propeller blades of a propulsion mechanism to generate different sounds and/or lifting forces from the propulsion mechanism.

Low noise vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle. A vertical take-off and landing unmanned vehicle which generates low levels of noise includes an ion thruster providing a thrust in a vertical direction, and a thrust vectoring system providing thrust in at least one of a forward, aft, left, and right direction, when the unmanned vehicle is in flight

Low noise vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle. A vertical take-off and landing unmanned vehicle which generates low levels of noise includes an ion thruster providing a thrust in a vertical direction, and a thrust vectoring system providing thrust in at least one of a forward, aft, left, and right direction, when the unmanned vehicle is in flight