New round of tests under way for blended wing craft

Source URL: http://www.avpress.com/n/26/0526_s5.hts
Posted at: http://www.air-attack/com/news/news_article/3209

EDWARDS AFB - Flight testing of an unusual aircraft shape that is intended to provide a more efficient means of cargo transport resumed last month at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

The X-48B is a prototype scale model of a blended wing body aircraft - described as a cross between a conventional aircraft and a flying wing - believed to offer greater fuel efficiency by providing more lift and better aerodynamics.

The aircraft is shaped as an elongated triangle, with a smooth line from the fuselage extending out into the wings.

The program is a joint effort of The Boeing Co.'s Phantom Works and the Air Force, with engineering and flight test support from Dryden.

Made primarily of composite materials, the 8.5%-scale test model is 21 feet wide and weighs approximately 400 pounds. Intended for low-speed, low-altitude research flights, its three small turbojet engines produce a top speed of 138 mph. The vehicle has a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet.

For flight tests, the model is piloted from a control room on the ground.

Low-speed flight testing began last summer, and the second phase of the flight test program, at higher speeds, began April 4.

This phase is intended to examine the aircraft's handling qualities while flying at cruising speeds.

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