Patent ID: 8402740

Claim:
An aircraft propulsion unit, comprising: a gas-turbine core engine having at least one compressor, one combustion chamber and one turbine driving a main shaft, the gas-turbine core engine having a central core axis; at least two separate fan units, each having a rotating fan rotating about a central fan axis of the fan unit and a primary downstream flow path directly downstream of the rotating fan; a common casing structure for the gas-turbine core engine and the at least two separate fan units, the common casing structure including an outer casing surrounding each rotating fan of the at least two separate fan units to form an outer periphery of the primary downstream flow path for each of the at least two separate fan units; a mechanical drive connection operationally connecting the at least two separate fan units to the main shaft, the central fan axis of each of the at least two separate fan units being laterally offset from the central core axis of the gas-turbine core engine; and for at least one of the two separate fan units, at least one air inlet for the core engine having an opening to the primary downstream flow path positioned behind the rotating fan of the fan unit in the outer casing forming the outer periphery of the primary downstream flow path so as not to protrude into the primary downstream flow path.