MIT EAD Airframe Version 2

Lore & Background

The EAD Airframe Version 2 is a flying wing constructed from very light materials including carbon-fiber, shrink-wrap plastic, balsa wood, polystyrene, and Kevlar. It features a very wide open frame that serves as a fuselage, with thin wires strung horizontally in and below it. The aircraft weighs just over 2.5 kg and has a wingspan of 5 m. The MIT engineers employed geometric programming to fine-tune the design and power requirements.

Propulsion is provided by an ionic wind generated through controlled electrical discharge, a system known as an ionocraft. The fuselage contains a stack of 54 lithium-polymer batteries that, with the aid of a power supply unit, deliver a minimum of 20,000 volts of electrical potential. This produces enough corona discharge to propel the aircraft. Air at the front of the wing is ionized by an electrical field near thin filaments called emitters, while collectors elsewhere on the airframe attract the positively charged ions. As the ions travel toward the collectors, they collide with air molecules, transferring energy and producing airflow that thrusts the aircraft forward fast enough to gain flying speed, with conventional wings providing aerodynamic lift.

The aircraft has flown at least eleven times in the duPont Athletic Center, an indoor gymnasium on the MIT campus. Flight distances have been constrained by the 60 m long space within the gymnasium, and the aircraft normally flies about 2 m off the ground.

Reader's Guide

The MIT EAD Airframe Version 2 represents a significant milestone in aviation as the first airplane to achieve flight using ion propulsion, a solid-state propulsion system with no moving parts. While tethered ion-propelled aircraft without wings have existed since the 1960s, those earlier designs relied on ground-based high-voltage power supplied via wire. The V2 is the first to carry its own power source onboard, enabling free flight. Its development at MIT by engineer Steven Barrett and others demonstrates the practical application of electroaerodynamic thrust for sustained, controlled flight. The aircraft's lightweight construction and use of geometric programming to optimize design highlight the engineering challenges overcome to make ion propulsion viable for an airplane. Although its flights have been limited to indoor spaces of 60 m length and altitudes around 2 m, the V2 opens the door to future aircraft that could operate silently and without moving parts, potentially transforming applications in surveillance, atmospheric research, and other areas where noise and mechanical complexity are drawbacks.

Did You Know?

• The EAD Airframe Version 2 has no moving parts in its propulsion system; all thrust is generated by ion wind.
• It is powered by a stack of 54 lithium-polymer batteries delivering a minimum of 20,000 volts.