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.