Rotary-wing aircraft or fixed-wing aircraft consisting of one or a plurality of rotors and/or one or a plurality of airscrews being caused to rotate by means of at least one shaft, the said aircraft comprising a distributed electric motor unit configured to ensure the propulsion and/or the lifting of the said aircraft by causing the said shaft to rotate, the motor unit being a distributed electric motor unit connected directly to the rotating shaft, no mechanism for the transmission of movement being interposed between the said unit and the said shaft, the distributed electric motor unit being composed of a plurality of stacked electric motor elements, each said electric motor element being connected directly to the rotating shaft and consisting of at least one fixed stator and at least one moving rotor capable of connection to the said rotating shaft in order to transmit to it a mechanical power of the following kind where: ·Pr=the nominal mechanical power necessary for the propulsion and/or for the lifting of the said aircraft, ·Pim=the maximum mechanical power capable of being delivered by the electric motor element on level i, to the rotating shaft, for instance Pim