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Edwards Air Force Base, California: An experimental jet that resembles a flying
wing flew successfully for the first time in a program that could lead to more 
fuel-efficient, quieter and higher-capacity aircraft, NASA said on Thursday.
 
The remotely controlled, 230-kg, three-engine jet with a 21-foot wingspan took 
off July 20, climbed to an altitude of 7,500 feet and landed about a half-hour 
later, NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Centre said.
 
The X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft was controlled by a pilot at a ground 
station. NASA and Boeing said data from the flight are already being compared
with data from wind tunnel tests.
 
The aircraft and a duplicate were designed by Boeing Co’s Phantom Works in 
cooperation with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright 
Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, USA. 
 
Built by Cranfield Aerospace in Bedford, England, they are 8.5 per cent-scale 
versions of a future full-size design.
 
The X-48B resembles a flying wing, but the wing blends into a wide, flat and 
tail-less fuselage, NASA and Boeing said.
 
The design is intended to provide more lift with less drag compared to the 
cylindrical fuselage of a traditional aircraft, reducing fuel consumption while 
cruising.
 
The engines are located high on the back of the aircraft, which should mean 
it is quieter inside and less noise reaches the ground during flights.
 
The planes are initially flying at low speeds to gather information about the 
stability and flight-control characteristics of the design, particularly during 
take-off and landing.
 
Another X-48B used for wind tunnel testing is available as a backup for flight 
tests.

Labels: technology