A Comparative Analysis of Different Placements of Engines in Aircraft

The renewed interest in commercial supersonic transport has increased the need for aircraft designs that are aerodynamically and economically efficient. That being said, engine placement influences key aerodynamic aspects that determine an aircraft’s efficiency. The review compares four engine placements: Underwing-mounted, Fuselage-mounted, Fuselage-embedded, and Blended Wing Body (BWB) embedded propulsion. The engine-placement configurations selected for study represent distinct strategies for integrating air-breathing engines into an aircraft and are commonly discussed in conceptual aircraft design. Additionally, engines embedded in a BWB aircraft were selected as a distinct configuration from standard embedded engines because they offer different aerodynamics due to the aircraft's airframe. A comparative literature review methodology was followed to evaluate and compare the configuration. In this paper, fuselage-mounted engines are hypothesized to be a promising strategy for deploying engines in commercial supersonic travel. The objective of the paper is not to determine a universally optimal configuration, but rather to identify trade-offs associated with each placement strategy and their suitability for supersonic travel.