The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a rare First Action Allowance to Aerofex in just under eleven months for its thrust vector control technology for propeller-driven aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The patent, number 12,371,154, titled “Thrust Vectoring Propulsor,” represents a significant advancement in aerial vehicle propulsion, control, and efficiency. Receiving allowance on the first office action, especially at the speed it was prosecuted, demonstrates its novelty and potential.
The patented technology introduces an innovative approach that enables almost any propeller driven craft to utilize thrust vector control to achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency, range, and maneuverability.
While thrust vectoring’s potential is broadly recognized, adoption using traditional methods has been limited by complexity, weight, and high costs that Aerofex’s patented approach directly addresses.
It also resolves one of the biggest problems facing drone manufacturers, the difficulty in scaling their vehicles in size, particularly the most popular multicopter types.
Unlike conventional propeller systems, Aerofex’s solution dynamically adjusts thrust magnitude and direction across multiple axes in real-time, responding to flight conditions and pilot inputs with fraction of a second precision.
Mark De Roche, Chief Technology Officer, and Founder at Aerofex, said, “This tech represents a paradigm shift in how we think about propeller-driven flight. By giving pilots and autonomous systems the ability to precisely control thrust direction, we’re not just improving existing aircraft performance and efficiency, we’re enabling entirely new categories of aerial vehicles that were previously not conceivable.”
Mark De Roche added, “We see tremendous demand for technologies that can deliver both efficiency and capability, particularly with the sector’s renewed awareness of its environmental impact.”
The global UAV market is projected to reach $56.0 billion in 2025, with propeller-driven systems representing the dominant propulsion technology across commercial, defense, and consumer segments. The advanced air mobility, or “air taxi” sector continues to gain traction in the market and with regulators in the US. Adding to that, the FAA’s recent passing of its
MOSAIC regulations for light aircraft (exclusively propeller and rotor craft), are set to invigorate and vastly expand the sector.
This patent positions Aerofex at the forefront of this transformation. It comes as Aerofex moves toward commercialization and strategic partnerships. It has recently released its first product, a thrust vectoring evaluation kit for researchers, and is currently conducting advanced flight testing of a heavy-lift aircraft enabled by the propulsors. It is also in discussions with several aerospace manufacturers regarding licensing opportunities.
