ABSTRACT
In this paper, we show the recent trends in aircraft propulsion system design going in line with the European Union’s “ACARE FlightPath 2050” strategy A short review of the actual aero‐engines thermal cycle analysis and propulsion system analysis is provided, and the midterm evolution of the design parameters is explained, based on the application of the breakthrough technologies and developments of the fourth industrial revolution. The development of the classical propulsion units design is documented by the most advanced examples. On the basis of the long‐term vision to meet future goals on the limits of greenhouse gas emissions as well as noxious exhalation and noise reduction, new design concepts of aircraft propulsion systems are shown. These include integration of an aircraft fuselage and wing with a propulsion unit, new propulsion concept of distributed propulsion integrated to the airframe, wing and body boundary layer ingestion, laminar flow wing, new concepts of electrical propulsion, supercooled electrical motors and generators, new principle of energy accumulation, alternative fuels, liquid hydrogen as a source of the propulsion power, and a medium for maintenance of the supercooled electrical power propulsion part.
