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EDWARDS AFB - Flight testing of an unusual aircraft shape that is intended to provide a more efficient means of cargo transport resumed last month at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. The X-48B is a prototype scale model of a blended wing body aircraft - described as a cross between a conventional aircraft and a flying wing - believed to offer greater fuel efficiency by providing more lift and better aerodynamics. The aircraft is shaped as an elongated triangle, with a smooth line from the fuselage extending out into the wings. The program is a joint effort of The Boeing...

EDWARDS AFB - Think of it as the aviation equivalent of a hybrid car. That's the analogy used to describe a new aircraft shape preparing for flight test at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. The X-48B is a prototype scale model of a blended wing body aircraft, one engineers believe could produce a more fuel-efficient transport-type aircraft. This unusually shaped aircraft design - described as a cross between a conventional aircraft and a flying wing - is believed to offer greater fuel efficiency by providing more lift and better aerodynamics. The aircraft is shaped as...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDWARDS AFB - NASA Dryden Flight Research Center is preparing to flight test a prototype blended wing body aircraft as part of a joint program with the Air Force Research Laboratory and The Boeing Co. This unusually-shaped aircraft design - described as a cross between a conventional aircraft and a flying wing - is believed to offer greater fuel efficiency by providing more lift and better aerodynamics. The aircraft is shaped as an elongated triangle, with a smooth line from the fuselage extending out into the wings. The Air Force is interested in the technology, should it prove viable,...