Maryland's Defense Patent Database

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High performance ‘X’-configuration airplane for storage and launch from a tubular container

Patent image
NRL

An air vehicle can be folded into or unfolded from a compact tubular storage container without assembly or disassembly of the air vehicle. The air vehicle includes a fuselage, two aerodynamic surfaces rotatably mounted on the fuselage along a common axis with at least one pivot mechanism, and at least one spring mechanism configured to deploy the aerodynamic surfaces so they extend outwardly from the body. In a stowed configuration, both aerodynamic surfaces are parallel to the fuselage for stowage of the aircraft in a container. Each aerodynamic surface has a winglet located at an outer edge of the tail portion of the aerodynamic surface, and a rudder on each winglet. The aircraft does not require a vertical stabilizer or rudder system on the fuselage. An outer backward-swept wing portion can be unfolded from the outer edge of each aerodynamic surface to increase the wing aspect ratio.

Inventors: 
Foch, Richard J.
Patent Number: 
Technical domain: 
Handling and Transportation
FIle Date: 
2010-08-19
Grant Date: 
2013-05-21
Grant time: 
1,006 days
Grant time percentile rank: 
18
Claim count percentile rank: 
4
Citations percentile rank: 
1
'Cited by' percentile rank: 
1
Assignee: 
US NAVY