Photo: Boeing
NASA, Boeing, and other industry partners are working on technologies to reduce the fuel consumption and emissions of single-aisle aircraft by up to 30%, using a "Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW)"demonstrator.
The technologies tested as part of a so-called Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD) program are intended to provide future aircraft designs with realistic data and analyses. Boeing states that the goal of the SFD program is to achieve groundbreaking improvements in aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.
Combined with advances in propulsion systems, materials, and system architecture, a single-aisle aircraft with a TTBW configuration could, according to the developers, reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 30%. The SFD program aims to help the global aviation industry achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The ambitious goals of the US Aviation Climate Action Plan of the White House are also to be met through the SFD program.
«“The SFD program has the potential to make a significant contribution to a sustainable future,” said Greg Hyslop, Chief Engineer and Executive Vice President of Engineering, Test & Technology at Boeing. “This program offers the opportunity to design a full-scale aircraft for testing, thereby solving new engineering problems.”
Ultra-thin, strut-reinforced wings with a larger wingspan could house advanced propulsion systems in the future. This possibility is currently limited, primarily due to the lack of space under the wings. For the TTBW demonstrator aircraft, Boeing plans to use elements from existing aircraft and combine them with entirely new components.
As part of previous NASA programs, including a Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research program, Boeing conducted extensive wind tunnel testing and digital modeling to advance the TTBW design. Early conceptual studies were carried out as part of NASA's Environmentally Friendly Aviation program.
