US space agency NASA and aviation giant Boeing will develop a next-generation commercial plane that emits less carbon.
The Potwhose scope also includes aeronautical researchwill invest 425 million dollars over seven years in the ‘Sustainable Flight Demonstrator’ project (SFD), while Boeing and its partners will spend an estimated $725 million.
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The objective is produce future commercial aircraft that are “more efficient in fuel consumption, with benefits for the environment, the commercial aviation industry and passengers around the world”, said the head of the PotBill Nelson.
“If we are successful, we may see these technologies on aircraft (…) in the 2030s”Nelson said in a statement Wednesday.
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The agreement provides that the Pot Y Boeing build, test and fly one of airplane of a single corridor on a real scale.
“The technologies demonstrated and tested under the SFD program will inform future designs and could lead to major aerodynamic advances and improvements in fuel efficiency.”stated Boeing.
The chief engineer of BoeingGreg Hyslop, said that “it has the potential to make an important contribution towards a sustainable future”.
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The engineers will try to design an airplane with a consumption of gas and emission reductions of up to 30% relative to today’s most efficient single-aisle aircraft, according to the Pot.
The agency plans to complete testing of the SFD in the late 2020s so that technologies and design can be applied to the next generation of single-aisle aircraft.
Single-aisle aircraft are the most common in the fleets of the airlines and account for almost half of the emissions of world aviation, assures NASA.
Boeing and the Pot plan to flight test an innovative wing, known as a reinforced transonic wing, which reduces aerodynamic drag and fuel consumption.
These extra-long, slim wings are mounted on top of the fuselage and stabilized by diagonal struts.
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NASA and Boeing affirm that the development of this new generation of planes could help meet the goal of the White House and the industry to reduce carbon emissions from aviation to zero by 2050.
AFP
