NASA's X-48C hybrid wing-body plane completes flight test

U.S. space agency NASA said Friday that its remotely piloted X-48C hybrid wing-body research aircraft has completed its eight-month flight test. All 30 flights were conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, a tenant of Edwards Air Force. The X-48C typically flew for approximately 30 minutes on most flights, reaching speeds of up to 225 kilometers per hour and attaining an altitude of about 3, 000 meters. "We have accomplished our goals of establishing a ground-to- flight database, and proving the low speed controllability of the concept throughout the flight envelope," said Fay Collier, manager of NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation project. "Very quiet and efficient, the hybrid wing body has shown promise for meeting all of NASA's environmental goals for future aircraft designs." The scale-model aircraft, shaped like a manta ray, was designed by The Boeing Co., built by Cranfield Aerospace Limited of the United Kingdom, and flown in partnership with NASA. "It is bittersweet to see the program come to an end, but we are proud of the safe and extremely successful joint Boeing and NASA flight test program that we have conducted," said Heather Maliska, X-48C project manager at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. The X-48C retained most dimensions of the B model, with a wingspan slightly longer than six meters and a weight of about 225 kilograms. Primary changes to the X-48C model from the B model, which flew 92 flights at Dryden between 2007 and 2010, were geared to transforming it to an airframe noise-shielding configuration. External modifications included relocating the wingtip winglets inboard next to the engines, effectively turning them into twin tails. The rear deck of the aircraft was extended about two feet. Finally, the project team replaced the X-48B's three 23-kilogram thrust jet engines with two 40-kilogram thrust engines. "Working closely with NASA, we have been privileged throughout X-48 flight-testing to explore and validate what we believe is a significant breakthrough in the science of flight and this has been a tremendous success for Boeing," said Bob Liebeck, a Boeing senior technical fellow and the company's Blended Wing Body (BWB) Program manager. "We have shown a BWB aircraft, which offers the tremendous promise of significantly greater fuel efficiency and reduced noise, can be controlled as effectively as a conventional tube-and-wing aircraft during takeoffs, landings and other low-speed segments of the flight regime," Liebeck added.