US Air Force launches development of BWB aircraft

Cargo-passenger version of BWB

Last year it became known that the US Air Force is looking for new ways to develop military transport aviation and tanker aircraft. In order to improve the flight performance of such equipment, it was planned to study and work out the possibility of using the so-called. integral aerodynamic layout. To date, these works have reached the stage of developing a full-fledged project, which can be further developed.

Research work

The plans of the US Air Force to create integrated aircraft (English Blended Wing Body - BWB) were first reported by Aviation Week in early July 2022. According to him, at that time the Air Force was developing general requirements for the future program, and in the near future they were going to release so-called requesting information from the industry.

Over the next few weeks, the customer planned to collect applications from organizations wishing to participate in research and competitive development of a new project. The timing of the future research work at that time was not specified. At the same time, Aviation Week claimed that almost $57 million would be spent on this stage.

Some details of the terms of reference for BWB have been revealed. The developers were required to complete preliminary projects of a military transport aircraft with the possibility of restructuring into an air tanker. In terms of carrying capacity and flight characteristics, it should at least not be inferior to serial aircraft in service.

The BWB scheme should improve a number of key characteristics. Due to the advantages of the integrated circuit, it is necessary to increase the carrying capacity while maintaining the remaining parameters, or to increase the flight characteristics at the same load. In addition, they want to reduce operating costs, primarily fuel. The complete transition of military transport aviation and tankers to new aircraft should bring annual savings of at least $2 billion.

tanker aircraft

The promising BWB aircraft was compared with the existing Boeing 707 and other samples of this class, on the basis of which the US Air Force equipment was made. In particular, it is the "707" that is the basis for the common tanker KC-46A. Accordingly, it becomes a kind of standard in the development of a promising project.

Competition results

As is now known, a year ago the Air Force received applications for participation in the project from a number of American companies. The customer studied the proposed concepts and chose the most successful one. On August 16, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall named the winner of the competitive round.

The contract for the continuation of work and the full design of the BWB aircraft was received by JetZero. She works with companies Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites, which have extensive experience in the aviation industry. It is expected that the lead developer will form the main ideas of the project, and subcontractors will help with their implementation.

The Ministry of the Air Force called the expected time and cost of development. The customer will start paying for the design work in the next fiscal year, which starts on October 1st. The money will flow to performers until FY2027. inclusive. The development of the project, the construction of the first prototype aircraft and the conduct of the first tests are estimated at $235 million.

According to the disclosed information, the BWB project should be created using new approaches and technologies that speed up the development process. Despite the novelty of the design, the construction of an experimental aircraft should also take place in the shortest possible time. After 2025-26 it is planned to submit the aircraft for testing, and no later than 2027, the first flights will take place.

The further fate of the project will depend on the test results. If the BWB from JetZero confirms the calculated technical and operational characteristics, it will be accepted into service and mass production will be launched. However, a negative scenario is also possible with the rejection of both the current project and the very idea of ​​introducing an integrated layout in heavy aircraft.

Concept level

Earlier, even before receiving a new contract, JetZero revealed the appearance of its version of the BWB aircraft. Several images of such an aircraft have been published in the military transport version and in the tanker configuration, incl. transferring fuel to fighters. Apparently, the final appearance of the aircraft is being demonstrated. Its fundamental changes at the current stage of the project are unlikely to suit the customer and are therefore unlikely.

The shown BWB from JetZero is a large-sized aircraft with an appropriate weight, made according to an integrated aerodynamic scheme. This scheme is similar to the well-known "flying wing", but there are noticeable differences.

The main element of the BWB airframe is the fuselage of a characteristic shape with the necessary internal volume. The streamlined nose merges into a flared midsection, behind which the wing is placed. Unlike the traditional scheme, such a fuselage is an additional plane that creates lift and complements the main wing.

Wing consoles are attached to the integral fuselage according to the high-wing scheme. Unlike the "flying wing", the interface between the fuselage and consoles is not smooth - there is a clear transition between the side of the fuselage and the plane. The consoles are swept and have a large elongation. Ends bent up are used. The aircraft has no plumage.

In the above images, the BWB has a pair of turbojet engines in nacelles on pylons above the rear fuselage. A suitable type of turbojet engine and their required parameters are not specified. Apparently, the propulsion system of the new aircraft should be similar to the Boeing 707 systems or surpass them in one way or another.

Commercial modification

By order of the Air Force, JetZero will develop two versions of the aircraft with almost complete unification. The first will be a military transport aircraft with the largest possible cargo compartment. The applied layout allows you to increase not only the total volume, but also the width of the cabin. Also, a tanker project is being worked out for the Pentagon - in this case, the useful volume of the cabin will be given for additional fuel tanks.

JetZero plans to bring its developments to the commercial market. Customers want to be interested in the concept of a passenger aircraft. Due to the special design of the fuselage, it is proposed to take on board more passengers or provide them with better conditions than in existing liners. Other benefits of various kinds are also expected.

The development company claims that its BWB will be more convenient and more economical than existing aircraft with similar characteristics. Optimized aerodynamics will reduce fuel consumption by up to 50%, making flying cheaper or increasing range. In addition, it is possible to increase the carrying capacity, which will be facilitated by a larger cabin volume. Placing the engines on top of the fuselage will reduce ground noise.

Bold plans

At the moment, JetZero's BWB project exists only in the form of some design documentation package and a few artistic images of the aircraft in flight. It takes several more years to complete the design, and then the development company, in cooperation with contractors, will have to build and test an experimental aircraft.

What will be the results of the current work is still unknown. At the same time, the development company solves important and complex tasks: the results of the project and the characteristics of the future aircraft depend on the current work. Moreover, the future of the most important components of the US Air Force fleet can now be determined. With the successful completion of the BWB program, they will be retooled and given new opportunities. However, success is not guaranteed, in which case the air fleet will not change.

Comments

[bayard]

Damn ... but outrageously similar glider for a transport worker was offered by Russian designers 15 years ago! But with us all this remained unclaimed, but those who appreciated it, on the contrary.

[David1993]

This sketch is nothing more than fan art on the topic. All these drawings have one problem, ignoring the scale. You can't fool physics. A glider of this design is good for drones the size of a bird.
Amers for the sake of stealth somehow stretched to the size of a fighter. But to make a cargo plane according to such a scheme is Shiza. The mass will fly into the sky. The optimal form has long been found. Any deviation from a cigar with wings is not rational

[Frettaskyrandi]

A glider of this design is good for drones the size of a bird.

Your brain is the size of a bird. You would first try to figure out the essence of the integrated circuit of the aerodynamic layout and its application, if you can afford it.

[David1993]

Why did you throw here a photo of a white swan and its American counterpart?
Where are these beauties and where is the iron that is put in the title as a possible image of the WBB

[bayard]

Quote from David1993

where is the iron that is put in the title as a possible image of WBB

The integrated circuit has better aerodynamics, the fuselage also creates lift, allowing you to make thinner and shorter wings (drag). Takeoff and landing characteristics are improved, larger internal volumes are obtained to accommodate fuel, passengers, and cargo. It was this form of aircraft that was recognized as the most optimal and rational - more passengers can be accommodated, more fuel can be taken, carried away further.
But it will be more difficult to build such aircraft, it’s not like attaching wings to a cigar.

[glk63]

Here, something similar, developed by us (Sukhoi Design Bureau) back in the 70s of the last century - T-4MS. the same integrated circuit. https://testpilot.ru/russia/sukhoi/t/4/ms/

[glk63]

Purely my opinion, but if the T-160MS had appeared instead of the Tu-4, it would have been much more beautiful) (judging by the materials of the same site where the Tu-160 came from). Probably, it was called somehow Su-200 (based on the logic of the abbreviation Sukhoi Design Bureau))

[BMP-2]

Even before Sukhoi, there were similar projects by R. Bartini: A-55, A-57 (1955 and 1957, respectively).

In 1991, there was a Tu-404 project:

[Dock1272]

I saw something similar in "Technology-Youth". Late 80s

[Zaurbek]

I don't understand the need. If he does not have a civilian mass analogue, he will be expensive and small. Modern liners of the 767 and 777 types are very perfect from all sides and have a good price precisely because of their mass character. And this is c \ b and service and pilots and prevalence in all corners of the earth.

[Frettaskyrandi]

I don't understand the need. If he does not have a civilian mass analogue, he will be expensive and small.

It has a "civilian mass analogue" - Z-5.

It's just that the author, out of his habit, focused on verbiage on the topic "little, late, useless" and there was neither strength nor time left to get acquainted with the topic of the article.

[Zaurbek]

Civil aviation has found its traditional layout ..... and for 100 years, it is unlikely to move away from it. And the "games" in super-capacious aircraft such as the A380 or super jumbo also failed. Large airports even have wingspan restrictions.

[Frettaskyrandi]

aircraft such as A380 or super jumbo

This is the same plane.

"games" in supercapacious aircraft

Z-5 is designed for 220 - 280 passengers.

[Eule]

The layout is interesting to say the least. Engines from above are of course more difficult to maintain, but they do not suck in dust, there are less requirements for the quality of cleaning the strip from debris. Below the fuselage - shorter ladders, easier loading.
You can carry oversized cargo, which is now only along rivers, especially if there is a version that can land on dirt strips near the construction site of a future nuclear power plant or something.
If they really achieve half the fuel economy, this is huge progress.

[acetophenone]

I didn’t even understand: what place will provide directional stability? Rotary gears? Or transfer passengers from side to side?

[Mustached Kok]

The layout is interesting.
The most important thing is that this arrangement radically increases the internal volume. Here you can accommodate a bunch of passengers, and make a truck with a large volume for heaps of cargo or even large goods. And if you use part of the volume for fuel and improved fuel utilization systems, you can create an aircraft with gigantic flight capabilities, while maintaining a high payload capacity.

But no one has yet created such cases (in the sense of such DIMENSIONS). The strength of such a design is not clear, the stability of the hull during flight is not clear, etc.
And will the entire current infrastructure (both production and operation) be suitable for such aircraft? Will it turn out that half of everything will have to be created anew for them?! And these are gigantic costs!!!

On the other hand, let the army be sure to develop and order such a batch for themselves. For them, the issue of price is a little secondary. Therefore, their aircraft, including during operation, will show the prospects of such an arrangement in the civilian industry. Although it would be nice if ours would do this - and not their engineers. But it’s not enough to want, the conditions are such that THEY (and perhaps in China) will do it. And ours will not be engaged in development, but in explaining why building aircraft with a classical layout is correct and more profitable for us. True, in the end, you will have to catch up again later, when everyone else will understand that behind such an arrangement there are a lot of prospects and a future.