NASA and Boeing have teamed up to develop and test a new fuel-efficient narrowbody airliner with revolutionary aircraft design. The project, called the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD), will test the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) concept, a design featuring extra-long and thin wings, stabilized by diagonal struts, that will result in an aircraft with less drag and lower fuel consumption.
A green single-aisle plane for a sustainable future
Pam Melroy, NASA’s Deputy Administrator, announced the partnership, which aims to create a new generation of green single-aisle planes that could revolutionize air travel in the next few decades. Both organizations will collaborate to invest over US$1 billion to build, test, and fly a full-scale demonstrator aircraft by the end of the decade.
Todd Citron, Boeing’s Chief Technology Officer, says the announcement is the result of a ten-year partnership, which began with conceptual studies and wind-tunnel testing of the TTBW concept. Through the development of this experimental aircraft, NASA and Boeing hope to validate new technology that could lead to the launch of a new aircraft model in the future.
Narrowbody planes are responsible for almost half of the CO2 emissions by the sector globally, so the SFD project is focused on the narrowbody segment. Boeing estimates that demand for single-aisle aircraft will increase by 40,000 planes between 2035 and 2050. The SFD will be designed with its wings located higher in the fuselage, freeing up underwing space for advanced propulsion systems. A single-aisle airliner with a TTBW configuration could save up to 30% in fuel consumption and emission reductions compared to today’s most efficient single-aisle planes, such as the Boeing 737 MAX or the Airbus A320neo families.
A revolutionary aircraft design
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing design is a revolutionary concept that will make commercial airliners much more fuel-efficient by creating less drag. The newly designed wing is so long and thin that it requires a brace, but the aircraft can get a lift on this brace as well as the wing. This experimental aircraft will solve novel technical problems and validate new technology, bringing us one step closer to sustainable air travel.
In conclusion, the partnership between NASA and Boeing is a significant step towards the development of a new generation of narrowbody planes that can significantly reduce the environmental impact of air travel. The Transonic Truss-Braced Wing design is a revolutionary concept that could pave the way for a new era of sustainable commercial aviation.
