Hypersonic, electric propulsion, triple deckers -- think you’ve seen everything when it comes to new aircraft concepts? Well just hold on a second, here comes the Star trek inspired silent plane with no moving parts. Yes you read it right.
The silent aircraft has obvious applications as a stealth drone, as it would not be detected by infrared scanners. Defence giant Lockheed Martin has reportedly already expressed interest in the project.
MIT scientists have built and flown the first-ever Star Trek-inspired plane with no moving parts, paving the way for quieter, simpler aircraft with no combustion emissions. Instead of propellers, the light aircraft is powered by an “ionic wind” — a silent but mighty flow of ions, which generates enough thrust to propel the plane over a sustained, steady flight. Unlike turbine-powered planes, the aircraft does not depend on fossil fuels to fly, according to the....
