SBIR/STTR Research Award

eQ Propulsor

Award identifier a8fbedc2b46b5f6b5443ccbadd2591b26b083b3cde116a2c651fe7fd0175693eAwarding agency Department of Defense · Air Force

Award amount

$150,000

Program and phase

STTR · Phase I

Award year

2021

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Award details

Awarding agency
Department of Defense
Branch
Air Force
Recipient company
WHISPER AERO INC
Proposal award date
2020-12-10
Contract end date
2021-03-10
UEI
QCRHSCGFBLN4
Solicitation number
X20.D
Topic code
AFX20D-TCSO1

Research abstract

Whisper Aero proposes investigating a novel electric propulsor designed to achieve ultra low noise, high specific power, and high efficiency both at static and high speed cruise conditions. These capabilities are critical to enable eVTOL aircraft to achieve scaled market use in urban areas, and the wide breadth of mission applications across commercial, public use and military aircraft. The eQ Propulsor has an innovative architecture that enables electric motors to achieve high specific power at low disk loading - yet with low tip speeds to achieve very low acoustic signatures. The technology is scale independent, for use from small hovering surveillance drones to large people/cargo carrying eVTOL/eSTOL/eCTOL. First principle analysis indicates an acoustic signature below all current eVTOL development efforts, with the potential to blend into ambient urban soundscapes. Range and speed of aircraft applying this propulsor will be on par with existing propeller configurations, but with far superior community acceptability. Key risks have been identified, with analysis and hardware research focused to establish feasibility across the mechanical and acoustic design. This technology also has the potential to be applied across non-aviation commercial products. Prior team experience includes pioneering DEP at NASA, founding Uber Elevate, and major U.S. aerospace corporations.

Technology keywords

Not reported

Other awards by this recipient

Verified by the same UEI. These are other public SBIR/STTR award pages, not a merged company record.

Awards with the same topic code

Verified by an exact topic code match. This is not a text-similarity match.

Research funding history

9 SBIR/STTR records share this UEI (2021–2026). Reported award amounts total $4,818,046. Reported amounts are not federal obligations.

Phases: Phase I, Phase II, Phase II – Direct to Phase II

Agencies: Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Agency intelligence

Department of Defense

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