Expense Ultimately Doomed Fast, Quiet CBA-123 Vector

Unconventional engineering effort was a clean-sheet reimagining of the 19-seat airliner that later fueled development of the ERJ-135/145 series of regional jets.

Jason McDowell

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 10:43 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

From directly below, the CBA-123’s unique wing and unconventional engine configuration are plainly visible. [Credit: Kev Slade]

Key Takeaways:

The Embraer CBA-123 Vector was an unconventional 19-seat turboprop developed in the 1980s, notable for challenging traditional airliner designs.
It featured rear-mounted pusher propellers, which drastically reduced cabin noise and vibration, providing a quieter, "jet-like" experience for passengers.
The aircraft also incorporated a unique, clean wing design with a high aspect ratio, leading to significantly higher cruise speeds and altitudes compared to other turboprops.
Despite its innovative features and performance benefits, the project was canceled in the early 1990s due to its production cost doubling, making it economically unviable for the market.

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Airliner design, by and large, tends not to embrace the unconventional.

Whether jet or turboprop, we generally see only two general layouts—engines mounted on the wing or aft pylons, and propellers are almost exclusively mounted on the wing. Chalk the lack of variety up to convergent evolution or to operators and markets that favor conservative predictability, but it’s a reality that was almost universally adhered to by major airframe manufacturers.