Commercial aircraft Airbus and Boeing todayThey have almost the same structure, the key elements of which are a cigar-shaped fuselage with a retractable chassis, single tail fin and engines located under the wings. Retaining the design in this form, engineers can no longer improve the aerodynamic and other characteristics, so the Dutch airline KLM teamed up with Delft Technical University and developed a prototype V-winged aircraft that could replace all existing aircraft in the future.
The novelty is called Flying-V, and not at allsimilar to existing commercial aircraft today. In contrast, the Dutch prototype has practically no visible line between the fuselage and the wings - it turns out that passengers will sit almost inside the wings themselves. The advantage of this design is that it reduces drag and increases lift. But there is a minus - to manage such an aircraft is much more difficult than normal.
Aircraft of the future with a mixed wing
Except for the form of construction and locationturbofan engines, the prototype is most similar to the most advanced to date aircraft Airbus A350. With a 65-meter wingspan, the length of the new items is 55 meters, and height - 17 meters. The internal volume of the aircraft is 160 cubic meters, that is, it will fit both cargo and 314 passengers.
Airbus has the same characteristics.A350, but due to its shape, the Flying-V aircraft promises to be 20% more economical to fuel due to reduced resistance and mass. It can be used in any existing airports today, because its size allows you to fit on any of the runways and hangars.
Unfortunately, at the moment the plane existsonly in the form of computer models. However, in October 2019, engineers want to demonstrate a flying prototype - they intend to conduct a series of tests, during which they will assess the stability of the aircraft during takeoffs and landings.
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