The US Air Force has named the X-66A as part of NASA’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project, NASA and Boeing said.
The US-based space agency’s new X-Plane aims to teach a potential new generation of single-aisle aircraft that are the backbone of passenger airlines around the world and are more environmentally friendly.
Additionally, Boeing pledged to develop, test, and fly a full-scale demonstration of the transonic truss-braced wing concept in collaboration with NASA, which features wings that are long and thin and stabilized by diagonal struts.
“At NASA, our eyes are not just on the stars, but on the sky as well. Sustainable flight demonstrates NASA’s global efforts in aeronautics as well as climate,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. based,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
“The X-66A will help shape the future of aviation, a new era where airplanes will be greener, cleaner and quieter, and open new possibilities for the flying public and American industry alike,” he added. Will do.”
As outlined in the White House’s US Aviation Climate Action Plan, the X-66A is the first X-plane specifically designed to help the US achieve net zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions. has gone
Meanwhile, Bob Pierce, associate administrator of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, shared that the organization aims to achieve net zero emissions aviation by 2050 for transformative aircraft concepts like the X-66A. which demonstrate energy-saving, emission-reducing technologies;
According to JEE News, NASA and Boeing sought the X-Plane designation after the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project Award, which granted research aircraft status to create a revolutionary experimental aircraft and to be adopted into other aircraft designs. Testing Designs and Technologies.
Boeing CEO Todd Citron praised the designation of the X-66A as the next experimental aircraft, which changed aviation with design, construction, and flight testing and contributed to decarbonization.
Additionally, the X-66A has a designation for the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing configuration, which potentially reduces fuel consumption and emissions by 30%.
As single-aisle aircraft account for half of global aviation emissions, NASA’s X-Plane program, launched in the 1940s, has contributed to the development of sustainable design and technologies.
The X-66A is the latest in a long line of NASA X-planes, supported by the Armstrong Flight Research Center.
Nevertheless, NASA and Boeing have a Space Act-funded contract to invest $425 million over seven years in the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project. Boeing and its partners contribute $725 million, while NASA provides technical expertise and facilities.
