Airbus has been working on an entirely new kind of commercial airplane design that looks nothing like the iconic aircraft shape (tube-and-wing configuration with wing-mounted engines) that most people envision when they think about an airplane. Since 2017, the company has been quietly developing the game-changing “blended wing body” design for its next-generation aircraft called MAVERIC (Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls).
In 2019, Airbus revealed a working scale remote-controlled model – the Airbus MAVERIC demonstrator – with its first test flight in June. The flight-test campaign has been on-going ever since and will continue until mid-2020. The model was presented at the Singapore Air Show in 2020. It is 2 meters long by 3.2 meters wide, with a surface area of around 2.25m².
Not only does it’s blended wing body push innovative aircraft design to the limit, but it also could generate up to 20% fuel savings compared to current single-aisle aircraft. And, it can significantly improve the passenger experience because the shape allows for an exceptionally spacious cabin layout meaning more legroom and larger isles. And, it opens up new possibilities for propulsion system integration and type.
Moreover, the noise is expected to be significantly reduced as the aircraft would feature a “shielded” engine mounted above the central body.
Some engineers didn’t believe in the MAVERIC’s potential at first because the design is so radical.
Adrien Bérard, MAVERIC Project Co-Leader said:
Initially, many dismissed the MAVERIC project as merely a ‘hobby,’ or, in other words, a project Airbus wouldn’t learn very much from. So, we had to prove them wrong by showing that we could deliver a very sound basis for future aircraft configuration.
At Airbus, we understand society expects more from us in terms of improving the environmental performance of our aircraft. MAVERIC’s blended wing body configuration is a potential game-changer in this respect, and we’re keen to push the technology to the limit.
Jean-Brice Dumont, Airbus’ executive vice president of engineering, said:
Airbus is leveraging emerging technologies to pioneer the future of flight. By testing disruptive aircraft configurations, Airbus is able to evaluate their potential as viable future products. Although there is no specific timeline for entry-into-service, this technological demonstrator could be instrumental in bringing about change in commercial aircraft architectures for an environmentally sustainable future for the aviation industry.
The MAVERIC demonstrator has been tested and built with the same precision as any other Airbus aircraft. They even put it through wind tunnel testing to verify its aerodynamic characteristics at Airbus’ Filton site in the UK. Now, the testing team is concentrating on analyzing aspects such as MAVERIC’s flight control, multi-objective control surfaces, handling qualities, and modularity.
