Patent ID: 11912435
Assignee: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 23:
24. A composite air vehicle system, comprising:
a first air vehicle capable of independent aerodynamic flight;
a second air vehicle capable of independent aerodynamic flight; and
at least one connector element configured for reversibly interconnecting the first air vehicle and the second air vehicle in tandem arrangement to provide a composite air vehicle capable of aerodynamic flight;
wherein the composite air vehicle system is configured for enabling at least in-flight separation of the composite air vehicle into said first air vehicle and second air vehicle, and for enabling each one of said first air vehicle and said second air vehicle to operate independently of one another, wherein after said separation said connector element remains connected to only one of said first air vehicle and said second air vehicle; and
wherein the first air vehicle and the second air vehicle are each configured to generate aerodynamic lift at least in straight and level flight at least when interconnected to provide the composite air vehicle, to thereby provide aerodynamic lift to the composite air vehicle sufficient to thereby enable said aerodynamic flight of the composite air vehicle.