Boeing's revolutionary aircraft flies

by Derek Yeo - SINGAPORE - 28 July 2007

BOEING Phantom Works, Boeing Aircraft Company's R & D unit, launched its research X-48B plane which featured a unique Blended Wing Body (BWB) design. The revolutinary craft took off on its maiden flight 20 July 2007 from California's Edwards Air Force Base.

During the successful flight, lasting 31 minutes, X-48B climbed to 7,500 feet.

The pilotless X-48B, measuring 21 feet wingtip-to-wingtip, looked like a giant stingray with three rear overhead-mounted engines. The engines' location meant less cabin noise and ground noise pollution during flight.

The BWB airframe design centred on both wings seamlessly fused with a broad flat fin-less fuselage. Radically different from the conventional wing-and-cylindrical fuselage, this resulted in more lift, less drag and therefore more fuel-efficient at cruising altitude.

A back-up X-48B is currently used for wind-tunnel studies.

Both X-48B craft, a collaboration among Boeing, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Research Laboratory, were built by Cranfield Aerospace in Bedford, England.

PHOTO: Boeing Aircraft Corporation Copyright © 2007 AIRMENews*. All rights reserved.