Pulsed Detonation Engine

Great Engine Technology Experiment... Wasn't there a version of this that used nuclear explosions... in the novel "Footfall" I believe. Pulsed detonation engine

See the Whole USAF Story here


by Larine Barr 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs5/16/2008 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- The engine that naysayers thought could never propel an aircraft across the sky is now at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, where it will be displayed this summer and remembered for its 2008 history-making flight. The pulsed detonation engine, developed by a team from the Air Force Research Laboratory here, flew its record-breaking manned flight Jan. 31 at Mohave, Calif. The pulsed detonation engine, or PDE, was flown on a modified Scaled Composites Long-EZ aircraft by test pilot Pete Siebold. He achieved a speed of over 120 mph and 60 to 100 feet altitude, which produced greater than 200 pounds of thrust. A jet assist takeoff was used to minimize takeoff roll and provide more runway margin, but was subsequently shut down when the PDE provided plenty of thrust for flight.