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  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Altitude
  4. Ion-Propelled Aircraft

Ion-Propelled Aircraft

Aircraft propelled by ion wind instead of engines or propellers
Back to AltitudeView interactive version

Ion-propelled aircraft use electrohydrodynamic (EHD) thrust—ion wind—for propulsion. Research, development, prototypes. Benefits: silent, no moving parts. Challenges include thrust density and scaling. Applications: efficient propulsion in air.

TRL
4/9Formative
Impact
4/5
Investment
3/5
Category
Hardware

Connections

hardware
Distributed Propulsion

Multiple small motors distributed across an aircraft for improved efficiency and redundancy

TRL
5/9
Impact
4/5
Investment
4/5

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