The Boeing
X48 -
Nasa Experimental Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
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The
Boeing X-48 is an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (
UAV) for investigation into the characteristics of blended wing body (
BWB) aircraft, a type of flying wing. Boeing designed the
X-48 and two examples were built by
Cranfield Aerospace in the UK. Boeing began flight testing the
X-48B version for
NASA in
2007. The X-48B was later modified into the
X-48C version. It was flight tested from
August 2012 to
April 2013. Boeing and NASA plan to develop a larger BWB demonstrator.
X-48
Research at
Phantom Works then focused on a new model, designated X-48B, two examples were built by
United Kingdom-based Cranfield Aerospace.
Norman Princen, Boeing's chief engineer for the project, stated in
2006: "Earlier wind-tunnel testing and the upcoming flight testing are focused on learning more about the BWB's low-speed flight-control characteristics, especially during takeoffs and landings.
Knowing how accurately our models predict these characteristics is an important step in the further development of this concept."
The X-48B has a 21-foot (
6.4 m) wingspan, weighs 392-pound (178 kg), and is built from composite materials. It is powered by three small turbojet engines and is expected to fly at up to
120 kn (
220 km/h) and reach an altitude of 10,
000 feet (
3,000 m). The X-48B is an 8.5% scaled version of a conceptual 240-foot wide design. Though passenger versions of the X-48B have been proposed, the design has a higher probability of first being used for a military transport.
The X-48C featuring two engines and inboard vertical stabilizers
Wind tunnel testing on a 12 ft wide blended wing body model was completed in
September 2005.[ During April and May 2006, NASA performed wind tunnel tests on X-48B
Ship 1 at a facility shared by
Langley and
Old Dominion University. After the wind tunnel testing, the vehicle was shipped to NASA's
Dryden Flight Research Center at
Edwards Air Force Base to serve as a backup to X-48B Ship 2 for flight testing. X-48B Ship 2 then conducted ground tests and taxi testing in preparation for flight. In
November 2006, ground testing began at
Dryden, to validate the aircraft's systems integrity, telemetry and communications links, flight-control software and taxi and takeoff characteristics.
The second X-48B was modified into the X-48C starting in
2010 for further flight tests.[18] The X-48C has its vertical stabilizers moved inboard on either side of the engines, and its fuselage extended aft, both in an attempt to reduce the aircraft's noise profile; it was to be powered by two JetCat turbines, each producing 80 pounds-force (0.36 kN) of thrust.The X-48C was instead modified to use two Advanced
Micro Turbo (
AMT) turbojet engines in
2012.
Following flight testing of the X-48C in April 2013, Boeing and NASA announced plans to develop a larger BWB demonstrator capable of transonic flight.
Variants
X-48A
The initial planned 35 ft (
10.7 m) wide version. It was canceled before manufacture.
X-48B
Two 8.5% scale aircraft that have been used for flight testing.
X-48C
A modified, two-engine version of the X-48B intended to test a low-noise design
Specifications (X-48B)
Wingspan: 20 ft 5 in (6
.22 m)
Wing area:
100.5 sq ft (9.34 m2)
Aspect ratio: 4.1
Gross weight:
500 lb (
227 kg)
Powerplant: 3 × JetCat
P200 turbojet, 52 lbf (0.23 kN) thrust each
Maximum speed: 136 mph; 219 km/h (
118 kn)
Endurance: 40 minutes
Service ceiling: 10,000 ft (3,048 m)
- published: 09 Dec 2015
- views: 211