X-48C Blended Wing Body Test The giant fans in the wind tunnel at NASA's Langley Tunnel Research Center were spun up one last time to test a Blended Wing Body (BWB) prototype that may usher in a new era of fuel-efficient, quieter aircraft design with greater passenger capacity. The X-48C test marked the last time the Langley Full Scale Tunnel, built in 1930, will be used. Boeing Research & Technology, working in partnership with NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is exploring the aerodynamic and operational advantages of the Blended Wing Body concept. Crafted at Cranfield Aerospace Ltd. in England, two of these flattened-fuse scale models were built to Boeing's specifications using mostly lightweight composites. The models weigh approx. 500 pounds each and are powered by a trio of micro-turbine engines propelling the models up to 138 miles per hour and 10,000 feet in altitude. The US Air Force has also expressed an interest in the BWB conept as long-range, high-capacity military aircraft. ***
The wind tunnel at Langley, built in 1930, was originally used to test World War II fighters, the Mercury space capsule, and other proposed concepts for a supersonic transport. Due to the size and weight of the BWB models, a crane was used to position them inside the wind tunnel. This was not the first time that a BWB model has been tested at Langley. In 2006, engineers conducted preliminary tests to determine how the X-48B would perform during remote controlled flight tests. Blended wing body designs are inherently different from traditional fuse-and-wing airplanes that rely on multiple control surfaces for stability and control. With the BWB concept, the traditional fuselage and wings are blended, creating more internal capacity, while lowering drag and increasing lift. The giant wind tunnel was decommissioned by Langley in 1995, then leased to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA for student research and engineering. That lease terminated a few years ago and the tunnel wass scheduled for demolition due to limited testing capability, its deteriorating condition and environmental issues. ***
The X-48 is an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed for researching the flight characteristics of a blended wing body (BWB) aircraft, a type of flying wing. The blended wing body (BWB) concept offers advantages in structural, aerodynamic and operating efficiencies over today's more conventional fuselage-and-wing designs. These features translate into greater range, fuel economy, as well as lower manufacturing costs. ***
