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Blended-wing aircraft starts test flights

A test aircraft that could be the forerunner of future Air Force transports has begun test flights at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

The remote-controlled Boeing X-48B design resembles a flying wing, like the B-2 Spirit bomber. But the wing blends smoothly into a wide, flat, tailless fuselage. The “blended wing body” design also puts the plane’s jet engines where the tail fin would be on traditionally designed aircraft.

This fuselage blending helps to produce additional lift with less drag compared to a circular fuselage, a Boeing statement said. The design allows the plane to get better fuel mileage while cruising. And because the engines mount high on the back of the aircraft, there is less noise inside and on the ground when it is in flight.

“The blended-wing body concept holds tremendous promise for the future of military aviation as a multipurpose military platform in 15 to 20 years,” said Darryl Davis, Boeing’s general manager of advanced precision engagement and mobility systems. “Its unique design attributes will result in less fuel burn and a greatly reduced noise footprint, which are important capabilities to offer our Air Force and mobility customers.”

Boeing Phantom Works developed the X-48B flight test aircraft in cooperation with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory to collect information about the stability and flight-control characteristics of the blended-wing body design, especially during takeoffs and landings.

Up to 25 low-speed flights are planned, for the purpose of gathering data. Following completion of testing, the X-48B likely will be used to test the design’s low-noise characteristics, as well as how it handles at transonic speeds.

The X-48B has a 21-foot wingspan and weighs 500 pounds. The unmanned test vehicle took off for the first time on July 20 and climbed to an altitude of 7,500 feet before landing 31 minutes later.