DAILY MAIL
Single-aisle passenger aircraft are the workhorse plane of commercial aviation, producing nearly half of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.
But a radical new wing design developed by NASA and Boeing promises to make them leaner, cleaner and more efficient, cutting emissions by 30 percent.
NASA’s collaboration to build, test, and fly a full-scale demonstrator—which will carry the US Air Force test name X-66A—will see a $425 million commitment from the space agency as well as $725 million invested by Boeing and its industry partners.
At the heart of the new plane design is a strut-supported, longer and thinner wing design, the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing, which makes better use of the gliding potential, requiring less fuel to propel it forward.
The US Air Force has just conferred their project its vaunted, experimental X-plane status, meaning that NASA’s new X66-A will join the ranks of other revolutionary X-planes like the North American X-15 test craft — which still holds the world records for highest altitude (67 miles) and top speed (Mach 6.7).
NASA and Boeing’s modest goal for the X66-A is to spur the ‘decarbonization of aerospace’ saving planet Earth.
‘The X-66A will help shape the future of aviation,’ NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, ‘a new era where aircraft are greener, cleaner, and quieter, and create new possibilities for the flying public and American industry alike.’
When combined with the partnership’s other advanced propulsion plans, new aerospace materials and electronic systems architecture, the trussed wings promise to deliver a 30-percent reduction in fuel consumption.
But this is strictly compared to today’s best-in-class aircraft. In 2019, Boeing estimated that the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing will cut emissions and fuel costs by 60 percent compared to aircraft made in 2005, many of which are still in use.
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