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The headline refers to a 2020 laboratory prototype, not an electric jet engine tested in flight. Wuhan University researchers used microwaves to ionize and heat injected air, producing a hot plasma jet. Their experiment demonstrated a propulsion concept; it did not establish an aircraft-ready engine or show that an airplane can fly using this system.
What the scientists actually built
In a paper published in AIP Advances on May 5, 2020, Dan Ye, Jun Li, and Jau Tang of Wuhan University described a prototype that uses microwave energy to ionize air and create a jet. The authors called it a proposed atmospheric jet thruster, not a tested aircraft engine. Read the paper in AIP Advances.
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The apparatus combined a microwave power supply, an air compressor, a compressed microwave waveguide, and a flame ignitor. AIP Publishing reported that the prototype lifted a 1-kilogram steel ball above a quartz tube 24 millimeters in diameter. The researchers measured lifting force and jet pressure while changing microwave power and airflow. AIP’s summary of the experiment said the measured pressure was comparable to that of a commercial airplane jet engine.
That comparison concerns pressure in the experiment. It does not show equivalent total thrust, fuel economy, durability, aircraft integration, or performance in flight. A small ball lifted above a narrow tube is evidence that the prototype produced a forceful jet—not that it could propel an airplane.
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What the measurements do—and do not—show
In a September 2020 response to criticism of the measurement method, the authors described the steel-ball arrangement as a simple pressure meter. They said it might not be accurate, although they considered it adequate to demonstrate the working principle. They reported an expected 10–15% error in microwave-power readings and 20% error in airflow readings. The authors’ response in AIP Advances also identifies important limits on interpreting the prototype’s performance.
The authors estimated energy-conversion efficiency at around 10%, based on their model and experiment. This is their estimate, not an independently validated flight-engine efficiency or a complete accounting of the system’s energy use. They also said a compressor drawing about 100 watts was sufficient for the experimental airflow rate, and that this additional compressor power was not included in the microwave-power comparison.
That distinction matters: a propulsion system’s performance depends on all the power needed to operate it, not just the energy delivered to its plasma-producing component. The study does not establish a complete system energy balance that could be compared directly with a conventional jet engine.
Why scaling it up is a major hurdle
The prototype operated at laboratory scale. The authors explicitly said that scaling operating power to megawatts would require further research: “Challenges to scale up the operation power to MW need to be solved by research in the future.” AIP’s suggestion that an array of high-power microwave sources might scale toward a full-sized jet is a proposal, not a demonstrated result.
The sources describing this work do not establish an aircraft prototype, an onboard power system, a successful flight, or commercial readiness for the microwave air-plasma concept. A hot jet and measurable force in a lab are an early demonstration; they do not resolve the engineering and power-supply challenges involved in making a useful aircraft propulsion system.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How it compares with newer electric-aircraft programs
“Electric aircraft propulsion” covers several different approaches. The 2020 experiment aimed to make thrust directly by heating and ionizing air with microwaves. More recent programs from NASA and JAXA are hybrid systems: they combine electrical machines with gas turbines or jet fuel rather than relying on electricity alone.
| Work | Propulsion and energy | Demonstration described by the source |
|---|---|---|
| Wuhan University microwave plasma prototype (2020) | Microwaves ionize injected air; an air compressor supplies airflow. The authors did not report a flight-ready, complete system energy balance. | Laboratory apparatus lifted a 1-kilogram steel ball over a 24-millimeter quartz tube, as reported by AIP Publishing. The authors later qualified the measurement method. |
| NASA hybrid-system test (reported January 2026) | A modified GE Aerospace Passport engine runs on jet fuel, with electric motors providing supplementary power. The system can also extract energy from some operations. | NASA reported an integrated hybrid-system test. Its project goal is up to 10% less fuel than best-in-class engines; NASA said further analysis and a compact engine test remained ahead. |
| JAXA MEGAWATT project (launched in FY2025) | Developing megawatt-class electric hybrid propulsion for jet aircraft. | Subsystem development and ground testing, including generators, motors, wind-tunnel tests, and an electric fan-drive test in a low-pressure facility. |
| NASA STARC-ABL concept | Wing-mounted turbofans generate electricity to drive an aft motor and propulsor; this is partially turboelectric, not all-electric. | NASA describes a concept requiring further development and testing, with a potential 7%–12% fuel-burn reduction. |
NASA’s report describes an integrated hybrid-system test, not an engine powered only by electricity. NASA’s hybrid-engine test update says the engine burns jet fuel and uses electric-motor assistance. JAXA likewise describes a hybrid development program involving ground tests, not an all-electric passenger aircraft. JAXA’s MEGAWATT project page.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteFor a separate turboelectric concept, NASA says STARC-ABL could reduce fuel burn by 7%–12%, but describes it as requiring further development and testing. Those projected savings belong to that concept; they are not results from the Wuhan plasma thruster. NASA’s aircraft concepts.
Is an electric plasma jet a viable alternative to a conventional jet?
The 2020 paper establishes that microwave energy can produce an air-plasma jet in a laboratory prototype. It does not establish that this is a practical alternative to a conventional fossil-fuel jet engine. The authors themselves identified measurement uncertainty, additional compressor power, and megawatt-scale operation as unresolved issues. The fair conclusion is that this is an early propulsion concept, while current aircraft electrification efforts described by NASA and JAXA are hybrid research programs rather than proof of an all-electric passenger jet.
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