US Patent 7828243 SCRAMjet arrangement for hypersonic aircraft

Hypersonic aircraft having a lateral arrangement of turbojet and SCRAMjet engines are disclosed. The SCRAMjet engines may be positioned laterally outboard of the turbojet engines. In one embodiment, the turbojet inlet and outlet openings may be covered during use of the SCRAMjets in order to provide compression and expansion ramps for the laterally adjacent SCRAMjet engines. The side-by-side arrangement of the turbojet and SCRAMjet engines reduces the vertical thickness of the aircraft, thereby reducing drag and potentially increasing performance.