Abstract: A compound Vertical TakeOff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. In a specific embodiment, the VTOL aircraft includes a gas-powered tip-jet driven rotary-wing and a fixed-wing that is capable of providing necessary lift to the aircraft during certain forward-flight regimes so that lift from the rotary-wing is not required. This enables slowing of the rotor, thereby reducing drag during forward flight and enabling flight above and below mu-1. Valves and accompanying ducting are employed to control compressed gas flow to the rotary-wing. Various reaction jets are employed for attitude control during VTOL and transition operations. The aircraft further includes a jet exhaust nozzle to provide forward thrust to facilitate forward flight.

Abstract: A tilt-rotor compound VTOL aircraft has a multiple-flow thrust generator(s) comprising a gas-powered tip-jet driven rotor(s) having a thrust-augmentation ratio of at least two; that tilts about the aircraft's pitch axis wherein the rotor's plane of rotation is substantially horizontal for VTOL operations and the rotor's plane of rotation is substantially vertical forward flight operations. A relatively small fixed-wing sustains the aircraft during forward flight. Compressed exhaust gas from the fan-jet engine(s) is ducted to a manifold having valves which control power to the multiple-flow thrust generator(s) and to the jet exhaust nozzle(s) as supplemental thrust for forward propulsion and yaw control. The manifold also serves to distribute compressed gas to the dead engine side of the aircraft in the event of a dead engine emergency, and to reaction jets for attitude control during VTOL operations.