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As airline passengers, we often do not give much thought to the shape of an airplane. After all, we have been boarding traditional “tube and wing” aircraft since we began traveling. Indeed, the shape of passenger airplanes has not changed in decades; they have been manufactured this way due to a myriad of factors, including aerodynamics, performance, structural strength and simplicity in at-airport servicing.
Technological innovations and future trends
However, ongoing challenges in the aviation industry have led manufacturers to consider new aircraft designs, which have caught the eye of investors, including the U.S. civil aviation authority, space agency and military. Investors recognize the potential for new design technologies in both the passenger and cargo context, providing benefits such as enhanced efficiency and alleviation of supply chain constraints.
New concepts in aircraft design
Any successful aircraft design changes will need to improve on cost and decarbonization over the traditional tube and wing aircraft approach. As it relates to decarbonization, we have seen in previous years a focus on fuel type, engine efficiency and battery technology, but now manufacturers are also assessing how aircraft designs, including wing design, could improve operations.
Design changes being considered include a “blended wing” design, where the wings blend into the main body of the aircraft, rendering it much wider than the traditional tube shape. This concept has arisen because of research that proposes that longer, more slender wings reduce drag. In some prototypes, this design integrates the passenger cabin, the cargo hold and the fuel tanks in the wings, creating its unique triangle or “V” shape. Additional concepts include aircraft with “truss-based wings” that attach to a more traditional tube-shaped aircraft body. This concept allows for much longer, thinner wings, which are secured to the aircraft at two points, including a truss brace. Similar to the blended wing design, truss-based wings create less drag, producing lift and enhancing efficiency.
One challenge to integrating a blended wing aircraft into passenger operations is the very limited ability to install side windows on the aircraft. Side windows are generally added to aircraft to enhance the passenger experience, but they impose an efficiency penalty by increasing weight. Some manufacturers have considered turning this “weakness” into a strength by using innovative aircraft designs for cargo and military transport rather than passenger operations. In this use case, there is no need for windows in the main body of the aircraft because there will be no passengers.
Due to these design complexities, as well as lengthy approval and production processes, the use of new aircraft designs in the passenger context is unlikely to occur until the next decade. Practical consideration of these designs in the cargo/military context, however, is already underway.
Cargo use case: Alleviating supply chain demands?
On August 16, 2023, the U.S. Air Force selected one manufacturer to develop a blended wing aircraft prototype for cargo and military use. The Air Force recognizes that these new designs increase global reach by moving cargo efficiently over long distances. Adding more, efficient aircraft to worldwide cargo operations would be a welcome improvement to supply chain challenges. It is well documented that a series of global challenges have increased pressure to find alternatives to freight shipping of goods. In 2021, for example, a giant container ship blocked the Suez Canal, which is a major traffic route for cargo-carrying ships. More recently, events in the Red Sea have caused manufacturers to seek alternative routes or methods of transport to get their goods to their final destinations.
Although air cargo has existed as an alternative for many decades, manufacturers are cognizant of the limitations of air transport, including increased costs and CO2 emissions. It is estimated that air freight is four to five times more expensive than sea freight, which is interestingly an improvement on pre-pandemic levels. But part of this increase in costs is due to the lower relative fuel consumption of ships compared to aircraft. However, with the new efficiencies created by innovative wing designs, the next generation of aircraft could operate on less fuel than today’s air cargo planes.
Whether or not these specific aircraft design changes “take off,” the significant pressure on the aviation industry to reduce emissions remains steadfast. This has served as a call to action for manufacturers, who are eager to have their next generation of aircraft designs alleviate public, environmental and other concerns. In terms of numbers, one prominent manufacturer stated that truss-based wings resulted in a 9% fuel burn reduction alone, which could be combined with more fuel-efficient engines to further reduce fuel burn. As to the blended wing design, another manufacturer has iterated that its design could cut fuel burn in half. Although aviation accounts for just 2.5% of global CO2 emissions, it contributes around 4% to global warming. In addition to cargo benefits, these new aircraft designs may help the industry meet its 2050 net-zero goal, announced in 2021 by the International Air Transport Association.
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