Astern propulsion

This maneuver had to be carried out with care as the rigging of masts and yards was principally designed to accept and transmit thrust in the forward direction.

Redirecting the thrust of a water jet driven craft, changing the cyclic pitch of a Voith-Schneider propulsor, or rotating an azimuth thruster 180 degrees has the same effect.

As the efficiency of traditional rudders is greatly reduced when not located in the propeller wash, only propulsion systems with steerable thrust provide adequate maneuverability during astern operation.

This facility is sometimes used to control aircraft speed in steep descents, or to taxi backwards when on the ground.

Most mechanically driven land vehicles can develop astern propulsion, although in this case the ability is more usually termed 'reverse'.