MCQ Questions

Questions

Practice mode — a mixed feed of questions and articles for each subject. Prefer reading first? Browse the Articles index instead →

Articles

Study mode — the full article library for each subject, no practice questions mixed in. Want to practice instead? Browse Questions by subject →

SciTech0174 – GL-10: NASA’s Ten-Motor Hybrid-Electric Plane

NASA tested an aircraft with ten separate propellers, no fuel tank, and a name straight out of a hot-rod garage.

NASA’s Greased Lightning (GL-10) electric aircraft during a hover test. Photo by David C. Bowman, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

📑 Contents

🏛️ Must Know

What GL-10 Actually Is

An Electric Plane Tested by NASA “Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)” is an electric plane tested by NASA.
Not a Japanese Aircraft It is not a solar-powered two-seater aircraft designed by Japan. That describes a different, unrelated project.
Not a Chinese Observatory or ISRO Rocket GL-10 also has nothing to do with a Chinese space observatory or a reusable rocket designed by ISRO.

📘 Good to Know

How GL-10 Actually Flies

Ten Electric Motors GL-10 uses ten small electric motors mounted along its wings and tail, giving it its “GL-10” name.
Vertical Takeoff, Horizontal Flight It can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, then tilt its motors to fly horizontally like a regular plane.
A Hybrid Design GL-10 combines a battery-electric propulsion system with a small onboard generator, an approach called hybrid-electric.

📝 Previous Year Questions

UPSC CSP 2016 — What GL-10 Actually Is

UPSC 2016 Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10) is an electric plane tested by NASA, not a Japanese aircraft, Chinese observatory, or ISRO rocket. See UPSC CSP 2016 GS Paper I, Q47. View this question.

🌟 Great to Know

Why NASA Was Testing an Electric Plane at All

Quieter and More Efficient Distributed electric propulsion, spreading many small motors along the wing, can make aircraft quieter and more fuel-efficient.
A Testbed, Not a Production Plane GL-10 was an experimental testbed exploring hybrid-electric propulsion concepts, not intended for commercial production itself.
Connects to Other PYQ Facts This same electric-aviation research theme also underlies UPSC questions on other experimental aircraft and green transportation technologies.