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So actually it's a containment device for a hot core of some kind. It does not specify that it's fusion. This patent reminds me of one that either leaked or was released depending on who you believe probably 20 years ago or more that was a method of powering jet fighters from a contained microwave plasma field that was held in a Taurus shape via its natural magnetic fields that would be formed. The idea was you would have this sort of ball of microwaves rotating in a Taurus shape inside a containment and you would fill that microwave Taurus ball with energy by literally just continuing to be more microwaves into it. The unique shape created a magnetic field which kept the microwaves contained in this tight ball. Then when you wanted to extract energy from it you could somehow and I forget how they did it either drain some of the magnetic energy off of the ball or directly run air or something through the ball which was hot. Anyway what you got was a jet engine to power a jet because you drain this energy in the form of heat run the ambient air through the engine and instead of the gas burning and heating up the air and shooting it out the back this heat did it. The real advantage was that rotating microwaves have almost no Mass unlike a battery or unlike fuel with a heavy jet engine. So it was extremely lightweight and supposedly could carry a lot of energy to make your fighter jets much lighter weight etc etc. And I think there was some discussion that you're about something that was unspecified that had been released to the public that was top secret that shouldn't have been released to the public and I often wondered if it wasn't that concept. Anyway I believe that was a Lockheed Martin patent if I'm not mistaken. It does seem like Lockheed Martin is often the contractor that is dealing with some of the most advanced future aerospace concepts. I guess it's a continuation of their old skunk works things that were set up by Mr Kelly Kelly johnson. It's also reminiscent of the supposed power source that the Nazis discovered to run their flying Bell shaped UFO things if you believe those. And those were supposedly powered by Mercury gas rotating it very fast speed and contained within to store energy and develop a magnetic field which could of course be converted into an electric field.

Oh, they mentioned Project Pluto.
That's exactly what came to mind when I read the headline.
All you really need for that type of engine is an intense heat source, and the concept has been around since the early days of the Cold War.

Sweet!

Patent expires in 2038, which is well before fusion will be viable in any vehicular form.

An expired patent means that everyone will be able to freely build commercial fusion tech.

Caveat: ANYONE can build any patented tech for personal use at any time. Patents only cover the sale and profiting off any filed invention.