Phantom Works, the Boeing Company’s research division, plans
to flight test a 14 percent model of a futuristic transport plane
that could be used in both commercial and military activities. The
test would take place in 2002.
The so-called “blended wing body” integrates engines,
wing and body into a single lifting surface. A blended wing-body
transport design promises “significant aerodynamic and structural
efficiencies,” said George K. Muellner, vice president and
general manager of Phantom Works, in St. Louis.
The efficiencies of the blended wing body design, explained Muellner
in a briefing to reporters, come from greater range and fuel economy,
lower manufacturing costs and greater reliability and safety.
This aircraft eventually could become the cornerstone of a new
family of still-undefined commercial transports. For the military,
they could serve as refueling tankers, said Muellner. “We
have a flying prototype. We are working with NASA to build a 35-foot
wingspan prototype.”
The improvements in aerodynamic efficiency mean that there would
be “much better use of the area you have available for payload,”
he explained.
That could have significant implications for military tanker and
cargo platforms, allowing for heavier payloads to travel longer
distances.
A commercial family of airplanes would use the same wings and vary
the number of fuselage domes, which are shipping container-sized
structures, said Muellner.
The fact that the blended wing body design has no windows should
not affect its marketability with airlines, said Muellner.
According to Boeing commercial group’s research, the plan
would be to have seats equipped with video screens, “so you
get an outside view projected on a video screen or you can watch
TV or browse the Internet,” he said. A video camera would
be used to capture the outside view.
Boeing also believes this aircraft has a future as a military tanker.
Even though the company is under contract with the Air Force to
upgrade the KC-135 tanker fleet, Muellner conceded that the KC-135
is “an aging aircraft” and never will be as capable
as a new design.
A blended wing, he said, makes more efficient use of space and
“can carry a lot of fuel.” The aerodynamic configuration,
he added, makes it 20 percent more fuel efficient than conventional
wing airplanes.