Скачать или смотреть Blended Wings: The Sci-Fi Aircraft Concept That Could Appear at an Airport Near You

The concept of blended-wing aircraft is not new, but this radical design might soon be a credible concept for airliners. A small V-shaped remote-controlled aircraft took off for the first time from the Pendleton UAS Range in eastern Oregon. Codenamed Steve, the unmanned vehicle flew for only 16 seconds on its first flight, but that didn't matter. The creator, Outbound Aerospace, hopes to launch a radical new 200 to 250-seat blended-wing airliner in the 2030s. The idea that the wings and fuselage of an aircraft can be smoothly blended to increase aerodynamic efficiency dates back more than 100 years. Since then, blended-wing technology has primarily been left to the US military to develop for their bombers. Now the aviation industry's pressing need to reduce emissions may mean the time has come for the first blended-wing commercial airliner. But can startups like Outbound Aerospace overcome the serious challenges that remain?