Combined rocket-ramjet aircraft

Claim 1

A COMBINED ROCKET-RAMJET AIRCRAFT COMPRISING: (A) AN OUTER TUBULAR CASING HAVING A FORWARD OPENING TO ATMOSPHERE PROVIDING A RAM AIR INLET AND HAVING AN AFT OPENING CONNECTED TO A NOZZLE PROVIDING AN EXHAUST OUTLET; (B) A RAMJET SUSTAINER MOTOR AND A ROCKET BOOSTER MOTOR MOUNTED ADJACENTLY WITHIN THE CASING AND LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED IN THAT ORDER BETWEEN THE INLET AND OUTLET; (C) THE RAMJET MOTOR HAVING A TUBULAR CONFIGURATION SO AS TO DEFINE AN AXIAL AIR PASSAGE THEREIN AND BEING OF SMALLER OUTER DIAMETER THAN THE INNER DIAMETER OF SAID CASING SO AS TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR AIR PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN; (D) THE ROCKET MOTOR AND THE RAMJET MOTOR EACH COMPRISING A SOLELY END-BURNING SOLID PROPELLANT, WITH THE ROCKET PROPELLANT HAVING A CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION AND BEING OF THE SAME OUTER DIAMETER AS THE INNER DIAMETER OF SAID CASING SO AS TO COMPLETELY FILL SAID CASING IN A RADIAL DIRECTION; (E) SAID ROCKET PROPELLANT THUS DIRECTLY CONTACTING THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID CASING SO AS TO CLOSE THE ANNULAR AIR PASSAGE FORMED BETWEEN THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR RAMJET MOTOR AND THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID CASING UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE ROCKET MOTOR PROPELLANT HAS BEEN CONSUMED DURING OPERATION OF SAID AIRCRAFT. (F) SAID ROCKET MOTOR BEING SO ARRANGED WITHIN SAID CASING AS TO OCCUPY A REGION WHICH BECOMES A COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR THE RAMJET MOTOR WHEN SAID ROCKET PROPELLANT HAS BEEN CONSUMED; (G) THE CASING THUS ACTING TO PRECLUDE ANY BURNING OTHER THAN END-BURNING OF SAID ROCKET MOTOR PROPELLANT; AND (H) AN INHIBITOR COATING ON THOSE SURFACES OF SAID TUBULAR RAMJET MOTOR PROPELLANT WHICH DEFINE SAID RAM AIR PASSAGES; (I) SAID COATING ACTING TO PRECLUDE ANY BURNING OTHER THAN END-BURNING OF SAID RAMJET PROPELLANT AND THUS PREVENT ANY RADIAL ENLARGEMENT OF EITHER OR BOTH OF THE AXIAL AND ANNULAR AIR PASSAGES IN SAID RAMJET MOTOR, SUCH ENLARGEMENT, WHEN ALLOWED TO OCCUR, TENTIND TO PRODUCE EXCESSIVE AIR PRESSURE IN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AFTER SAID ROCKET PROPELLANT HAS BEEN CONSUMED TO CORRESPONDINGLY INCREASE THE POSSIBILITY OF RAMJET ENGINE FLAME-OUT.