As NASA and Boeing enter the early stages of producing the X-66, the first X-plane specifically focused on helping the United States achieve net-zero aviation emissions by 2050, the team is already picturing what the aircraft will look like soaring above the clouds.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has started the development of a first-of-its-kind Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) demonstrator aircraft under its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD) programme for the futuristic sustainable aviation.
For this, NASA had selected the Boeing company to develop and flight-test a full-scale TTBW demonstrator aircraft for the programme in January 2023.
A new rendering of the X-66 from Boeing, that will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Turbofan engines, demonstrates the aircraft’s signature extra-long, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts, known as the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept.
When combined with other advancements in propulsion systems, materials, and systems architecture, this configuration could result in up to 30% less fuel consumption and reduced emissions when compared with today’s best-in-class aircraft.
Under the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, Boeing will work with NASA to build, test, and fly the full-scale X-66 demonstrator aircraft. The project seeks to inform a new generation of more sustainable single-aisle aircraft – the workhorse of passenger airlines around the world.
Boeing transported the MD-90 aircraft that will be turned into the X-66 to its Palmdale, California facility last year, and has removed its engines as the modifications started.
The X-66 is a key part of NASA’s Sustainable Flight National Partnership, through which the agency seeks to protect the environment, grow the U.S. economy, and provide new innovations for the traveling public.
Source : NASA
