NASA and Boeing are working on a new aircraft design

NASA recently sat down with Boeing to reduce fuel emissions and minimize the impact of flights on the climate. The two aviation giants have announced that they will be working on a new type of fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft for commercial use.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson said at a press conference, “Many of you think of NASA as a space agency and an aviation agency. It’s also a climate agency.” It monitors the planet from space and develops technologies to reduce carbon emissions. NASA is also working on the electric X-57 Maxwell and Super Guppy transport aircraft.

New design will save significant fuel

“When you fly in any plane, I’m surrounded by NASA technology,” Nelson says. For example, the tiny ailerons found on airplane wings were invented by NASA in the 1970s. Nowadays, they are on every passenger plane.

The new project also focuses on the wing structure. It is said that the new structure, called the Beam Supported Transonic Wing (TTBW), can increase efficiency. Thanks to this design, it is aimed to save up to 30 percent fuel. NASA will work with Boeing to build a prototype aircraft.

The first flight is targeted for 2028

The concept features both more efficient engines and longer but narrower wings that stand high above the fuselage and are supported by a beam from under the fuselage. Bob Pearce of NASA’s Aerospace Research Missions said, “The aerodynamics of this type of configuration have actually been known for a long time. If you increase the aspect ratio of a wing, you naturally decrease the induced drag of that aircraft – the drag from lift. If we do that we will get better aerodynamics, We know we will have less friction and burn less fuel.” said.

Boeing introduced the first version of this concept in 2019, but it takes a few more years to integrate other technologies and create a practically usable product from the demo. On the other hand, both NASA and Boeing do not see this project as similar experimental projects. They want to take steps to enable this model to be used in commercial aircraft. In this context, NASA aims to fly the first prototype in 2028 and put it into commercial use in the 2030s.