Air-breathing engines

Air-breathing engines are internal combustion engines that use the oxygen in atmospheric air to oxidise ('burn') the fuel carried, rather than carrying an oxidiser, as in a rocket. Theoretically, this should result in a better specific impulse than for rocket engines.

A continuous stream of air flows through the Air-breathing engine. This air is compressed, mixed with fuel, ignited and expelled as the exhaust gas. Thrust produced by a typical air-breathing engine is about eight times greater than its weight.The maximum velocity of Air-breathing engines is limited to 1-3 km/s due to extreme temperature and dissociation of the exhaust gas; however, the maximum velocity of a hydrogen-breathing engine of the same design is about 4 times higher.

Examples

• Air-breathing engines include:
  
• Reciprocating engine (except steam engines and Stirling engines)
  
• Gas turbine
  
• Jet engine
  
• Turbo-propeller engine
  
• IRIS engine
  
• Pulse detonation engine
  
• Pulse jet
  
• Ramjet
  
• Scramjet
• Liquid air cycle engine/Reaction Engines SABRE
  

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