Patent ID: 7051659

Claim:
A projectile structure, comprising: an annular member; a center structure; a plurality of pylons comprising side surfaces and connecting the annular member to the center structure, the plurality of pylons being spaced circumferentially from one another around the center structure by flow passages therebetween; and at least one engine comprising one of the flow passages having an inlet and positioned between side surfaces of two adjacent pylons of the plurality of pylons; wherein at least a portion of each of the side surfaces of the two adjacent pylons is arranged to compress and to turn air entering the inlet of the flow passage, wherein the flow passage of the at least one engine defines a throat at a minimum transverse cross-sectional area thereof, wherein each of the plurality of pylons has a profile width defined as a width of a pylon between adjacent flow passages at throats of the adjacent flow passages, wherein the profile width of each of the plurality of pylons at the throat thereof is from 2 to 5 times a profile width of the at least one engine at the throat thereof, wherein the profile width of the at least one engine is defined as a width of the flow passage between the two adjacent pylons at the throat.