air-breathing
Adjective
Meaning
deriving oxygen from the air
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Examples
he studied respiration in marine air-breathing vertebrates
large air-breathing ichthyosaurs had hydrofoils
After this it is able to leave the water as a miniature, air-breathing frog.
Designed as a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) reusable winged launch vehicle, it was to be fitted with a unique air-breathing engine, the RB545 or Swallow, to be developed by the Rolls-Royce company.
For a chemical rocket the propellant mass therefore would include both fuel and oxidizer ; for air-breathing engines only the mass of the fuel is counted, not the mass of air passing through the engine.
For air-breathing engines the effective exhaust velocity is not physically meaningful, although it can be used for comparison purposes nevertheless.