Aircraft

• US 6,817,573 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Inventors: Salkeld, Geoffrey, Harrison, Richard George, Holdcroft, Darren, Prendergast, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): BAREFOOT, GALEN L
• Application Number:
  US10/186,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20030006340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 244/36, 244/120, 244/124, 244/75.R, 244/23.B, 244/12.3, 244/55, 244/227, 244/229, 244/189, 244/190, 244/221, 244/78, 244/197
• US Class Current: 244/75.1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0075 the motors being tiltable relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/15 for conventional or electronic warfare
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/12 Variable or detachable wings, e.g. wings with adjustable sweep
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/10 Propulsion rotors specially adapted for rotorcraft or VTOL B64U30/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/60 Take-off or landing of UAVs from a runway using their own power
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/80 Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20

Abstract

An aircraft 1 comprising interchangeable wings 5 detachedly connected to a fuselage 3, each wing 5 containing the fuel and flight systems 13,15 for engines 7 mounted to the wings 5, so that the fuselage 3 need contain no flight systems, simply a “bus” 23 for communication and the transfer of data between the wings.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising:

at least one pair of wings, each wing comprising means for propelling the aircraft in flight and control means for controlling the propulsion means and for controlling the aircraft in flight; and

a fuselages;

wherein

each wing is separately detachably connected to the fuselage;

the control means are located within the wings; and

the fuselage comprises means connecting the control means and the propulsion means in the associated wings of each pair of wings, thereby to enable controlled flight of the aircraft.

2. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 wherein the wings contain fuel tanks for the associated propulsion means.

3. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 wherein the propulsion means are rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the direction of forward flight of the aircraft, thereby selectively to provide propulsion for forward flight or for vertical take off and landing of the aircraft.

4. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1, wherein means are provided selectively to divert efflux from the propulsion means, thereby selectively to provide propulsion for forward flight or for vertical take off and landing of the aircraft.

5. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fuselage comprises at least two container modules detachably connected together.

6. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 comprising an undercarriage adapted to facilitate take-off and landing of the aircraft, the undercarriage being integral with the fuselage.

7. An aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;

a pair of wings;

propulsion means mounted on each wing of said pair of wings, for propelling the aircraft in flight;

control means contained within each wing of said pair of wings, for controlling the propulsion means and for controlling the aircraft in flight; and

means contained within the fuselage, for connecting the control means and the propulsion means in the respective wings of said pair of wings, to control flight of the aircraft;

wherein

each wing of said pair of wings is separately and detachably connected to the fuselage; and

said pair of wings is coupled to the fuselage in such a manner that it is interchangeable with another pair of wings.