Scientists Created a Jet Engine That Runs on Air and Microwaves Alone

A steel ball hovers in midair inside a laboratory at Wuhan University. No combustion occurs. No battery powers the device. No fuel burns beneath it. Only compressed air and invisible microwave energy hold the one-kilogram weight aloft. Professor Jau Tang watches as his prototype defies everything we know about conventional propulsion. Aviation may never be the same.

How Microwaves Replace Jet Fuel

Tang’s team built something that sounds impossible. Atmospheric air gets compressed and then bombarded with microwave radiation at 2.45 GHz. Your kitchen microwave operates at the same frequency, but instead of heating leftover pizza, these waves strip electrons from air molecules. What remains is plasma, the fourth state of matter, glowing hot and ready to generate thrust.

No combustion happens inside Tang’s engine. No smoke billows out. No carbon dioxide escapes into the atmosphere. Electrons separate from atoms when microwave energy hits them hard enough, creating an ionized gas that behaves like rocket fuel without being fuel at all. Scientists call it plasma jet propulsion, and it produces zero emissions while generating forward thrust comparable to small commercial jet engines.

Traditional aircraft engines burn kerosene, releasing massive amounts of greenhouse gases with every flight. Tang’s prototype simply uses air and electricity. “Our work aims to solve global warming problems by replacing fossil fuel combustion engines,” Tang explained. “With our design, there is no carbon emission to cause greenhouse effects and global warming.”

Plasma Physics Meets Commercial Aviation

Plasma exists everywhere in nature. Lightning bolts are plasma. Solar flares are plasma. Stars burn with plasma at their cores. Scientists have studied it for decades, mostly for space applications where NASA’s ion thrusters push spacecraft through the vacuum beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

But space propulsion systems fail spectacularly when tested inside Earth’s atmosphere. NASA’s xenon-based plasma thrusters work beautifully in the vacuum of space but produce pathetically low thrust when air molecules get in the way. Tang’s breakthrough comes from using atmospheric air itself as the propulsion medium instead of fighting against it.

His prototype achieves a jet pressure of 24,000 newtons per square meter using just 400 watts of power. Commercial aircraft engines produce similar thrust levels, but they do it by burning fossil fuels at extremely high temperatures. Tang’s engine reaches temperatures exceeding several thousand degrees Celsius without combustion, using only microwave-ionized air to create the same effect.

Why Aviation Needs an Urgent Alternative

Transportation produces 29 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Aviation represents one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize because aircraft need tremendous amounts of energy to stay airborne. Electric batteries are too heavy. Hydrogen fuel cells require expensive infrastructure and pose storage dangers. Sustainable aviation fuel costs more and still produces emissions.

Every proposed solution to aviation’s carbon problem hits a wall somewhere. Battery-electric aircraft can barely fly for an hour before needing to recharge. Hydrogen aircraft need completely new airport fueling systems and carry explosion risks that make passengers nervous. Biofuels reduce emissions but still burn and still produce carbon dioxide.

Tang’s plasma engine sidesteps all these limitations. No fuel storage means no weight penalty from heavy batteries or cryogenic hydrogen tanks. No combustion means no emissions at all. Air provides the propulsion medium, and electricity from renewable sources powers the microwave generators. If scaled successfully, this technology could make carbon-free aviation possible without requiring airlines to choose between range, safety, and environmental responsibility.

Steel Ball Test Proves Concept Works

Laboratory demonstrations often use small, unimpressive objects to prove big ideas. Tang’s team chose a one-kilogram steel ball. When they activated their prototype, the ball lifted straight up, held aloft by nothing but ionized air.

Inside the engine, a turbine compressor draws in atmospheric air and squeezes it to high pressure. Compressed air flows into a quartz tube fitted with a microwave ionization chamber. Microwaves at 2.45 GHz flood the chamber, exciting air molecules until electrons rip free from their atoms. Temperature inside spikes to thousands of degrees as plasma forms.

Plasma expands explosively as it exits the chamber, generating jet thrust powerful enough to overcome gravity. No explosion occurs because no fuel burns. Just air, electricity, and physics combine to create propulsion that lifted a steel ball and could someday lift aircraft.

Early tests show thrust levels comparable to engines that power small commercial jets. Scaling remains a challenge, but the fundamental concept works.

What Makes Tang’s Design Different

Previous attempts at plasma propulsion for aircraft all failed for the same reason. Space-based plasma thrusters use noble gases like xenon because they ionize easily in a vacuum. But xenon doesn’t exist in meaningful quantities in Earth’s atmosphere, so these engines need to carry their propellant, defeating the purpose of a fuel-free design.

Tang’s approach works in normal atmospheric conditions because it uses the air around us. Oxygen and nitrogen molecules ionize when hit with microwave energy at the right frequency and power level. No exotic gases required. No propellant storage needed. Just air, compression, and electromagnetic radiation.

Other green aviation technologies depend on energy storage systems with major limitations. Hydrogen needs refrigeration down to minus 253 degrees Celsius and requires completely new airport infrastructure. Batteries add enormous weight that reduces payload capacity and flight range. Tang’s system eliminates both fuel and onboard energy storage, though it still needs electricity to power the microwave generators.

Renewable energy sources like solar panels or wind turbines could provide that electricity without fossil fuels. “Our results demonstrate that a microwave air plasma jet engine could be a viable alternative to conventional fossil fuel engines,” Tang said.

Technical Hurdles Before Takeoff

Revolutionary doesn’t mean ready. Tang’s prototype works in a laboratory but faces serious obstacles before it can power real aircraft. Large commercial jets need megawatt-level microwave sources to generate enough thrust for takeoff and sustained flight. Current battery technology can’t deliver that kind of power for hours at a time without weighing as much as the aircraft itself.

Heat presents another massive challenge. Plasma engines generate extreme temperatures that can damage or destroy components over continuous operation. Advanced materials and cooling systems need development before these engines can survive the thermal stress of a cross-country flight.

Flow dynamics inside the ionization chamber must stay stable across different flight conditions. Turbulence, altitude changes, and varying air pressure all affect how plasma forms and expands. Tang’s team works to optimize these variables, but consistency remains elusive.

“We still need to improve the engine’s efficiency and address the impact of high temperatures on the equipment,” Tang noted. “Managing the heat and ensuring durability under continuous operation are our next big challenges.”

Weight becomes especially critical for aviation applications. Heavy batteries negate the benefits of zero-emission propulsion if they make the aircraft too heavy to fly efficiently. Battery technology must advance dramatically to store enough energy in a light enough package.

Small Aircraft Could Fly Within Five Years

Commercial jetliners will wait, but smaller aircraft might see plasma propulsion much sooner. Tang believes heavy-duty drones and pilotless cargo planes could operate with his technology within five years. Logistics and delivery services would benefit immediately from emission-free flight, especially for short-haul routes where battery weight matters less.

Multiple plasma jet modules arranged in a parallel configuration could provide enough combined thrust for cargo drones while maintaining system efficiency. Smaller aircraft need less total power, making current battery technology more feasible as an interim solution until better energy storage arrives.

Autonomous cargo planes would make ideal testbeds for the technology. No passengers means less regulatory scrutiny. Shorter flights mean less demand on battery systems. Cargo capacity allows for heavier propulsion systems while engineers refine the design. Success with cargo drones would prove the concept and accelerate development toward passenger aircraft.

Package delivery companies already invest heavily in drone technology. Amazon, UPS, and others test battery-electric drones that can barely fly for 30 minutes before recharging. Plasma propulsion could extend range and eliminate charging delays if ground-based power systems can feed electricity to the engines during flight or between missions.

Jumbo Jets Need Another Decade

Commercial passenger aircraft present far bigger challenges than cargo drones. A Boeing 747 weighs around 180,000 kilograms at takeoff. Generating enough plasma thrust to lift that much mass requires power outputs many orders of magnitude beyond what Tang’s prototype produces.

“For a large jumbo jet, development could take another decade,” Tang estimated. Scaling up means integrating dozens or even hundreds of plasma jet modules, each requiring its own microwave source and power supply. Coordination between modules becomes essential to maintain stable thrust and prevent dangerous fluctuations.

Energy storage remains the bottleneck. Current lithium-ion batteries can’t deliver megawatt-level power continuously for hours without weighing tons themselves. Solid-state batteries, flow batteries, and other next-generation technologies promise higher energy density, but commercial availability remains years away.

Airlines also need proof of safety and reliability before betting passengers’ lives on new propulsion systems. Decades of jet engine refinement have made conventional turbines incredibly safe. Plasma engines must match that safety record, which requires thousands of hours of testing under every imaginable condition.

Certification from aviation authorities like the FAA will require extensive documentation and demonstration. Even after Tang’s team perfects the technology, regulatory approval could add several more years before commercial deployment.

Clean Skies Without Geopolitical Fuel Dependence

Beyond environmental benefits, plasma propulsion offers the aviation industry freedom from fossil fuel supply chains. Oil prices fluctuate with geopolitical tensions, wars, and cartel decisions. Airlines pay billions annually for jet fuel, and those costs get passed to passengers through higher ticket prices.

Renewable electricity costs continue dropping as solar and wind technology improve. Airports with solar panels or wind turbines could generate their own power for plasma-powered aircraft, eliminating fuel costs almost entirely. Airlines could stabilize operating expenses and reduce exposure to energy market volatility.

Countries without oil reserves could build aviation industries without depending on foreign fuel imports. Islands and remote regions with abundant wind or solar resources could power local air travel with locally generated electricity. Energy independence becomes possible when air itself provides the propulsion medium.

Aviation accounts for roughly 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, but that percentage grows as other sectors decarbonize faster than air travel. Net-zero emissions commitments from governments and companies depend on finding alternatives to fossil-fueled flight. Plasma propulsion could provide that alternative if technical challenges are solved.

Scientific Community Recognition and Next Steps

Aerospace researchers worldwide have taken notice of Tang’s work. His published results demonstrate proof of concept, though skeptics question whether the technology can scale to commercial applications. Many experts acknowledge the potential while remaining cautious about timelines and practical limitations.

Efficiency improvements top the priority list for Tang’s team. Converting electricity to thrust through plasma generation currently wastes significant energy as heat. Better conversion rates would reduce power requirements and make the system more practical for actual aircraft.

Durability testing under continuous operation will determine whether materials can withstand plasma’s extreme temperatures for hundreds or thousands of flight hours. Laboratory tests run for minutes or hours, but commercial aircraft engines must function reliably for years.

Collaboration with aircraft manufacturers and airlines could accelerate development. Boeing, Airbus, and engine makers like Rolls-Royce have resources and expertise that university research teams lack. Industry partnerships would help transition plasma propulsion from laboratory curiosity to certified aviation technology.

Military applications might arrive before commercial ones. Defense departments care less about operating costs and more about strategic advantages. Plasma-powered drones with unlimited range could patrol indefinitely if they can beam power from ground stations or recharge from renewable sources.

Aviation’s Fuel-Burning Era May Finally Have an Expiration Date

Tang’s plasma engine won’t fill airport runways tomorrow. Passengers won’t board plasma-powered jetliners next year or even in five years. But laboratories today are building the foundation for emission-free flight, solving problems that once seemed impossible.

A steel ball floats in a Chinese laboratory, held aloft by ionized air and microwave energy. It’s a small object, an unimpressive demonstration by Hollywood standards. Yet it represents something aviation has never achieved before: thrust without combustion, propulsion without fuel, flight without fossil fuels.

Whether plasma propulsion succeeds or fails, the attempt matters. Aviation must find alternatives to jet fuel or face mounting pressure from climate policies and carbon taxes. Tang’s work proves that alternatives exist, even if perfecting them takes decades.

Science fiction writers imagined engines like this for generations. Professor Tang and his team at Wuhan University just made the first one that actually works.