Patent ID: 11866205
Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. An unmanned aircraft system operable for wing-borne lift in a flying wing orientation, the unmanned aircraft system comprising:
an airframe having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a root chord, a first wingtip and a second wingtip, the airframe having an airfoil cross-section along chord stations thereof;
a thrust array coupled to the airframe including first and second motor mounts rotatably coupled to the leading edge respectively between the root chord and the first and second wingtips, the motor mounts each having first and second propulsion assemblies coupled to respective first and second distal ends thereof, the motor mounts each having a flight configuration substantially perpendicular with the leading edge forming a two-dimensional distributed thrust array such that the airframe extends outboard of the first and second motor mounts;
an electric power system operably associated with the thrust array and operable to provide power to each of the propulsion assemblies; and
a flight control system operably associated with the thrust array and operable to independently control the speed of each of the propulsion assemblies;
wherein, the leading edge extends from the root chord to each wingtip with a first positive sweep angle and the trailing edge extends from the root chord to each wingtip with a second positive sweep angle, the first positive sweep angle incongruent with the second positive sweep angle; and
wherein, each of the motor mounts has a storage configuration substantially parallel with the leading edge and extending substantially at the first positive sweep angle.