Edwards AFB, Calif. — The remotely piloted X-48C aircraft successfully flew for the first time Tuesday at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert.
The aircraft, designed by The Boeing Co. and built by Cranfield Aerospace Limited of the United Kingdom, is flying again in partnership with NASA. The new X-48C model, which was formerly the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft, was modified to evaluate the low-speed stability and control of a low-noise version of a notional, future Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft design. The HWB design stems from concept studies being conducted by NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation project of future potential aircraft designs 20 years from now. “We are thrilled to get back in the air to start collecting data in this low-noise configuration,” said Heather Maliska, X-48C project manager at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center. “Our dedicated team has worked hard to get the X-48C off the ground for its first flight and we are excited learning about the stability and control characteristics of this low-noise configuration of the blended wing body.”
Further reports can be found at the following links:
Daily Mail – The Future of Air Travel
CNET – NASA’s futuristic X-48C hybrid wing-body plane takes flight
For further information, contact Gordon Dickman at Cranfield Aerospace on g.dickman@cranfieldaerospace.com
