The discrete‐frequency noise radiation from a single‐stage lifting fan is analytically estimated from measured steady and unsteady aerodynamic data on the fan and compared with the measured noise levels. Unsteady forces acting on the stator blades are calculated from measurements of the rotor blades' wake, using a hot‐wire anemometer. The viscous interaction noise estimated is compared with the potential interaction noise from the rotor blades. Rotor potential‐flow interaction and stator viscous interaction noise both seem to be important in the case of close rotor‐stator spacing. The estimated results show a reasonable agreement with the measured results.