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Manta Ray Shaped Airplane Could Cut Fuel Consumption in Half

** Boeing's X-48C Blended Wing Body research
aircraft has flown several times, testing the
controllability of the unique design. NASA
researchers are working on developing a
similar full-scale hybrid wing structure that
can withstand traditional forces of flight.**
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • NASA engineers have developed a strong carbon-composite structure with specialized fabric and stitching, making "flying wing" aircraft designs feasible for the first time.
  • These flatter, sleeker aircraft could reduce structural weight by 25% and, paired with specific engines, cut fuel consumption by half.
  • NASA is scaling up testing with a 20-foot pressurized model, with full technology realization potentially taking two decades, though benefits may inform designs sooner.
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If NASA’s recent research efforts come to fruition, air travel of the future could take place in flatter, sleeker aircraft that resemble manta rays and require drastically less fuel than contemporary designs.

Such designs have often been posed throughout history as potential solutions in the drive to increase efficiency and reduce fuel consumption, but the technology needed to create flying wing structures that can withstand the necessary aerodynamic forces has never been developed. Until now, that is.

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