The U.S. Air Force is putting up $235 million for construction of a full-size flying prototype of a ‘blended wing’ plane it hopes will meet its future cargo and fueling needs and might lead to a design for future airliners.
It’s the second prototype in the works; NASA and Boeing are working on a demonstrator with a radical truss-supported wing and a conventional fuselage. In a blended-wing design the fuselage and wing structures are not separate, although the Air Force drawing above shows wing-like extensions that might be control elements rather than lift surfaces.
The Air Force’s partner in the plane is JetZero, which is partnered with Northrup Grumman, an experienced defense contractor. The prototype is expected to fly by 2027. Other companies have worked on blended wing designs over the years, and one has been in design development by Airbus partnered with a Dutch university.
