new stealth power source for drones and light aircraft "The Ionic Drive"?

A new study by researchers at MIT suggests that ionic thrusters aren’t just for play; they also provide a super-stealth, ultra-efficient alternative to conventional atmospheric propulsion systems.

A team of researchers led by Steven Barrett, assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, found that ionic wind produces 110 newtons of thrust per kilowatt, which is significantly greater than a jet engine’s two newtons per kilowatt thrust.

www.technewsdaily.com...

I can imagine all kinds of uses, shapes, and sizes if the power supply question is resolved.
The efficiency of the drive is really impressive.

reply to post by 727Sky



Hmm maybe they will be building military grade ION lifters too? Um pretty sure that is what UFO's were speculated to be powered by...

reply to post by abeverage


Since the first time I saw one demo I was intrigued but my excitement decreased when I found out it would not work in a vacuum..shucks...Anyway, with the fully certifiable results with regards to efficiency it got my attention again............ along with others in the defense industry.

I recall an experiment from my mid sixties junior scientist conquer the universe mad scientiste set:
an ignition coil, straws, bb's, wires, rubberbands, shaped like a rocket, and all hung like a pendulum from a string, and set against a scale ...

the ion drive showed motive force which was measured by the rocket's (pendulum) movement along the scale
I was under the impression it was considered an IDEAL space drive, and it wouldn't generate enough thrust for high resistance atmospheric travel...
( ps: using the sun as gravitational force while powering up the solar cells..or those new capacitors I just read about around here somewhere last week )


also remember those little black and silver flags on a spindle in a vacum in a clear paperweight thingies?
they developed ionic thrust from sun light shining on the black side of the vanes, while pushing off ions on the silver sides..I think they had to have a vacumn to function...again air resistance

Originally posted by 727Sky

I can imagine all kinds of uses, shapes, and sizes if the power supply question is resolved.
The efficiency of the drive is really impressive.

See also: distributed propulsion systems. Don't think They® aren't already looking at designing it in.

Originally posted by abeverage

Hmm maybe they will be building military grade ION lifters too? Um pretty sure that is what UFO's were speculated to be powered by...

And here I thought UFOs were supposed to be extraterrestrial. Lifters (or ion thrusters that use atmosphere for a working fluid) don't work in a vacuum.

Originally posted by Bedlam

Originally posted by abeverage

Hmm maybe they will be building military grade ION lifters too? Um pretty sure that is what UFO's were speculated to be powered by...

And here I thought UFOs were supposed to be extraterrestrial. Lifters (or ion thrusters that use atmosphere for a working fluid) don't work in a vacuum.

Yes because in space they shift gears from IT (Ion Thruster) to ID (Ion Drive)... And then cruise around the solar systems.

Careful shifting into HP (Hyper Drive) without plotting your course though NAV computer! Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it.

soooo....

why can you not use a jet turbine to generate electricity to power the ion drive

I'm no engineer, but someone here might have an idea if that would work

reply to post by 727Sky


Hm, there's some problems, though:

However, both Allen and Barrett acknowledge that there are some drawbacks to using ionic thrusters to power even small vehicles.

For one thing, thrusters would have to be huge in order to create enough thrust to get aircraft with off the ground. Lift off would also require a lot of voltage, which would have to be supplied by lightweight power sources-like solar panels.

So far solar cells aren't very efficient. Well, thanks for the info anyway - I knew they were thinking about using ionic thrusters in space, I didn't know these thrusters were also usable in our atmosphere! Thanks! S&F.

Originally posted by maintainright
soooo....

why can you not use a jet turbine

Don't jet turbines require combustible? I think those guys are trying to avoid using combustible - otherwise they'd just dump a turbo-reactor in their drone instead of using a reaction turbine to power a reactor.

I like your thinking

i'll take two small reactors please

go easy on the lead lining, these babies are unmanned

Nuclear batteries could be useful with such a system
phys.org...
Possibly the new LENR NASA is designing that trans mutates elements
futureinnovation.larc.nasa.gov...
Although the process is not energy positive yet, NASA is trying to do the same thing.