VTOL

VTOL, or vertical take-off and landing, refers to aircraft capable of taking off, hovering, and landing without long runways. VTOL aircraft may be designed primarily for vertical flight, or may be conventional planes equipped with vertical lift capabilities. The ability to operate from ships, confined spaces, or improvised pads has driven military and civil interest in VTOL technology.

Technologies to achieve vertical lift include rotorcraft with rotating blades, tiltrotor and tiltwing configurations that convert vertical to forward flight, and thrust-vectoring or deflected-thrust systems that point jet or exhaust thrust downward for hover. Some designs use lift fans or shaft-driven mechanisms to supply vertical lift, as seen in modern multi-engine aircraft; electric and hybrid-electric VTOL concepts are expanding the field of urban air mobility.

Historically, practical VTOL development began in the mid-20th century with jet and rotorcraft experiments, leading to aircraft such as the Harrier family, which performed short takeoffs and vertical landings, and the V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor aircraft. The F-35B combines a lift fan with a rotating exhaust for vertical lift in a multirole fighter context.

VTOL offers advantages in battlefield access, naval operations, disaster response, and urban environments where runways are limited. Limitations include reduced hover efficiency, payload and range penalties, mechanical complexity, noise, and evolving regulatory and certification challenges for civilian eVTOL operations.

Current trends emphasize development of safer, quieter eVTOL platforms, improved battery technology, and integration with air traffic management for urban mobility, while military VTOL aircraft focus on versatility, survivability, and range.