US Patent 12018620 AFT mounted pusher fan for gas turbine engine

A fan drive turbine drives a drive shaft. A compressor section and a turbine section rotate about a rotational axis, with the turbine section positioned in a downstream direction. A fan has fan blades and a fan hub positioned radially within a fan case, with the fan case defining a bypass duct. A fan inlet guide vane case is upstream of the fan blades and a fan exit guide vane case is mounted downstream. The drive shaft is mounted on at least one input drive shaft bearing inwardly of the fan inlet guide vane case. The drive shaft drives a flexible coupling to in turn drive a gear reduction. The gear reduction drives a fan drive shaft to in turn drive the fan hub. At least two fan drive shaft bearings support the fan drive shaft within the fan exit guide vane case. An aircraft is also disclosed.