Rim-Driven Electric Aircraft Propulsion

Today our aviation capability is built upon a carefully iterative evolution in technology over more than a century, in this time craft have become highly optimized machines with every incremental technological advance pushing the envelope of capability and economy. However it is widely accepted that our current progression towards electric aircraft requires significant innovation across most, if not all, aircraft subsystems. This is a gap that no single iterative evolution can bridge. A revolution is required.

Rim-driven fan (RDF) technology is not innately new as this technology has become successful in the marine industry in the last decade, however it has never been able to pass feasibility in aerospace applications. The approach did not merit serious investigation until aircraft electrification became a solid target for the industry, and with heritage architecture minimizing the certification risk for first movers it has been an under-developed area of research since.