Patent ID: 6857598

Claim:
An aircraft comprising: a fuselage, the fuselage having: a first fuselage portion with a first cross-sectional area; a second fuselage portion positioned aft of the first fuselage portion, the second fuselage portion having a second cross-sectional area that is less than the first cross-sectional area; and a third fuselage portion positioned aft of the second fuselage portion, the third fuselage portion having a third cross-sectional area that is greater than the second cross-sectional area; a wing fixedly attached to the fuselage and extending outwardly from a position at least proximate to the second fuselage portion, the wing having a leading edge region; and a propulsion system fixedly attached to the wing, the propulsion system having an air inlet positioned aft of the leading edge region of the wing, wherein the fuselage, wing, and propulsion system are configured to operate at a cruise Mach number of about 0.98 or less.