Passenger aircraft of the future - supersonic speed on biofuel. Aviation of the future: passenger drones, supersonic and biodesign Subsonic aircraft with connected wings
Aviation technology in the latest concepts regularly demonstrates advanced technological developments in various aspects of operation. This concerns not just the modernization of current models, but also a broader view of the future of the segment. Designers are focusing on the potential for development based on technologies that were considered innovative until recently. Of course, not all projects by which the aircraft of the future can be assessed will actually be implemented, but from many developments it is quite possible to get an overall idea of the trends in aviation development.
New ideas in passenger aircraft construction
Among the most realistic developments in the near future we can note the Boeing 777X. Fundamentally innovative and striking innovations are not expected, but the designers of this model promise a serious redesign of the controls and the shape of the wings. For example, the 777X will combine ailerons and flaps to minimize overall structural weight. As for the special design of the wings, it will be sectional - the length of each will be 3.5 m, and the developers will also provide the possibility of vertical lifting for parking during taxiing. Like many other passenger aircraft of the future, this airliner is planned to be converted to more efficient fuel sources. The power plant will be provided by a twin-engine complex capable of being controlled with a wingspan of about 72 m. Presumably, the aircraft will enter service in 2020.
The Japanese development of Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) is also interesting. This vessel is a jet passenger airliner with 76 seats. In addition, in 2020, the creators plan to release several modifications, one of which will be 90-seater. According to many experts, Mitsubishi will offer safer aircraft of the future than the Brazilian company Embraer and versions of the famous Superjet. This will be achieved through an updated fuselage design and more functional on-board systems.
Trends in military aviation
Military equipment traditionally displays more technologically advanced and functionally developed models. This partly applies to aviation. It's worth starting with communications support - massive antennas, sensors and radars may appear on the surfaces of future combat aircraft, which will allow them to capture and transmit electromagnetic waves. In practice, this will provide the ability to accurately “scan” objects within a 360-degree radius, regardless of weather conditions. Nanotechnologies will also bring new opportunities. In particular, some developments will provide coatings with a thermometer function, which will alert them to damage. Already this decade, future military aircraft will most likely also receive lasers. Moreover, their use will be narrowly oriented. The first concepts are planned to be used as a means of destroying enemy missiles and air defense sensors. Microwave weapons will be used to destroy electronic devices. Special engines will be provided both to equip aircraft with lasers and for electromagnetic installations. The appearance of new bombers is also expected, but in this area the principles of destruction will remain the same, and changes will occur only in terms of design optimization.
Supersonic aircraft
This class remains one of the most promising and rich. For example, NASA plans to release a supersonic QueSST by 2020, which will be almost silent. This is an important feature, since high noise levels are to this day the main reason for the ban on supersonic aircraft for the transport of passengers. With the help of new technologies, NASA plans to eliminate noise pollution during the transition to ultra-high speed. An interesting project is also supported by Virgin Galactic. This is a startup called Boom, which, according to some calculations, can reduce flight time over the Atlantic by 2.5 times compared to modern supersonic models. The fighter aircraft of the future, which in the sixth generation will go to supersonic speed, are also not being ignored. These are distant plans for now, but it is possible that similar developments will appear on the RQ-4 and Boeing F-X UAV platforms. According to some reports, the latest modifications will be able to achieve hypersonic speeds of 6 thousand km/h. But, again, operation of the sixth generation models will begin no earlier than 2050.
Flying cars
Cinematic images of flying personal cars seem like distant fantasy even today. Nevertheless, the Terrafugia company expects, if not to implement this concept in the near future, then to bring it closer. Not so long ago, the company's developers already presented a private car aircraft, but with one caveat - it was more of an airplane, since it required a runway with a flat surface 500 m long. And this is not to mention the difficulties of control, which only a professional could cope with pilot. However, in new versions, Terrafugia's future aircraft should at least eliminate the need to use a runway. This achievement has already been demonstrated by the latest modification TF-X, capable of reaching about 350 km/h. The flight range is 805 km.
Hybrid aircraft
The ideas of environmentally friendly and energy-efficient power have long been applied in traditional cars. It is quite logical that aircraft designers began to master them. In particular, engineers from Boeing have created a conceptual model of SUGAR, which should provide airlines with up to 70% savings compared to devices running on conventional fuel. Such a high percentage of energy savings was made possible thanks to electric batteries. While waiting for passengers, SUGAR will be simultaneously filled with traditional fuel and charged from the airport's energy terminal. Conventional fuel materials are intended only for take-off, and the flight itself is carried out by electric motors. And this is not the only development of this type. Today, future aircraft designs are designed with the possibility of a complete transition to electricity. The most ambitious ideas also concern the accumulation of solar energy, which could make energy supply 100% free.
Innovation in the private sector
Very original developments are also appearing on the private jet market. Thus, the Bombardier Global 8000 model is a business jet designed for 8 seats. It promises to set a record for flying without refueling over a distance of about 15,000 km. The speed will be 950 km/h. Also interesting is the seemingly unusual SkiGull model, which is called an amphibious aircraft. The name is due to the ability of the device to land on the water surface. This is a new development, but in the near future it will be available to everyone who wants to purchase it. Icon specialists also offer combined aircraft of the future for private users. The A5 model represents a two-seat seaplane option that not only allows you to land and take off from the surface of the water, but is also capable of recovering from a spin and, if necessary, ejecting the pilot with a parachute.
Space air travel
The already mentioned company Virgin Galactic is also engaged in tourism in the form of space flights. But in the future, as its representatives note, technology will allow ordinary users of aircraft to perform suborbital flights from one point on the planet to another. That is, there is no talk of flights to the far corners of space, but entering orbit by overcoming the atmospheric layer is possible. Today, an example of the implementation of this idea is the devices of the Space Ship Two family. Such aircraft of the future will be able to rise to a height of more than 15 km and deliver passengers to different parts of the Earth with minimal time.
The future of the Russian aircraft industry
The domestic aircraft industry has been in a state of crisis for a long time, and only in recent years have serious attempts been made to radically change the situation. The prospects for the development of the Russian segment of the industry are associated with two fairly successful developments. Firstly, this is the Sukhoi Superjet SSJ 100, which shows decent technical and operational performance, opening up new opportunities for further advancement of the project. For example, in 2019 it is planned to release a modification with 120 seats. Secondly, Russia’s future aircraft based on the MS-21 also inspire great hope for the development of the complex. This platform should be released in 2020. This is a short-medium-haul airliner, the power plant of which is created entirely using domestic components.
Conclusion
Perhaps the key trend in the development of the industry can be called the elimination of operational restrictions for aircraft of various classes. Moreover, this applies not only to technical indicators, but also to niche barriers. For example, the famous line “airplanes come first” ceases to be relevant. A fighter from the future, a cargo liner, or a passenger ship may well get the appearance of a helicopter. In some segments, promising helicopter models are successfully replacing traditional aircraft. It is possible that this trend will continue in the future. In particular, the Bell 525 family promises to be the first helicopters with a fly-by-wire control system, which minimizes the workload on the crew. And Airbus's Helicopters concepts are set to set records in terms of payload capacity. According to the manufacturer, by 2020 such models will be able to transport loads of up to 10 tons.
People have always strived to conquer the sky, and it seemed that not a single person was given the ability to fly like a bird - one only has to remember the myth of Icarus. Since the advent of the Wright brothers' first gliders at the beginning of the 20th century, aircraft designers have repeatedly crossed technological boundaries and created revolutions. Today we no longer consider the massive use of unmanned aerial vehicles or aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen to be science fiction. But new technologies need to be backed by unconditional guarantees of safety and security, and companies around the world are working hard to win the support of their passengers.
Video game controls
Technology for civil aircraft Active Stick, developed in 2018 by BAE Systems, is used on the Gulfstream G500 business jet, where it provides haptic feedback to the pilot's systems. Active Stick gives him the ability to literally physically feel his car instead of relying only on instrument readings.
BAE Systems- UK defense company. It is one of the top 10 global arms companies.
Gulfstream G550 is a twin-engine business jet aircraft manufactured by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation.
Image: Gulfstream
Fly-by-Wire (FBW)- a system that replaced the previous manual (mechanical) aircraft control circuit with an electronic one - one of the wonders of modern aerospace technology. Previous generation aircraft were controlled using a huge number of cables, cables, pulleys and hydraulics, which significantly made the aircraft heavier. However, according to experts, using a computer joystick reduces the actual experience of flying to the level of a video game.
Fly-by-wire control system (EDSU, Fly-by-Wire)- an aircraft control system that ensures the transmission of control signals from the controls in the cockpit (for example, from the aircraft control stick, rudder pedals) to the actuators of aerodynamic surfaces (rudders and takeoff and landing mechanization of the wing) in the form of electrical signals. It was first used in the American Vigilante bombers in 1961.
Boeing, like BAE Systems, is experimenting with an automated approach to control. The company introduced a new computer control function in models Boeing 737 MAX 8 And MAX 9. It avoids stalling, which can occur if the aircraft's nose is raised too much. However, experts warn that during emergency situations this tool may not work correctly and simply send the plane into a dive even with manual control. The manuals for the new planes did not mention that Boeing's control could change during an emergency, and airline officials are somewhat confused by the company's lack of comment. Moreover, some experts fear that it was this new feature that led to the Java Sea disaster.
On October 29, 2018, a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff. The plane crash killed 189 people.
Due to the emergence of a huge number of new technologies in the aircraft industry, the question inevitably arises about the safety of using artificial intelligence and autonomous computer solutions. To ensure the safety of the SkyGrid airspace, a blockchain system in which all data on the flights of unmanned aerial vehicles will be stored. Artificial intelligence will analyze large volumes of data. The neural network will also be able to transmit all information about flights to state aviation dispatch systems.
Ultrafast and unmanned aircraft
In June of this year, Boeing Corporation presented at a conference in Atlanta a project for a hypersonic aircraft that would fly from New York to London in two hours and from New York to Tokyo in three hours. The speed of the Boeing aircraft should be five times higher than the speed of sound: it will exceed 6 thousand km/h. For comparison, the maximum speed of the supersonic passenger plane Concorde was twice the speed of sound. According to Boeing estimates, it will take at least 20–30 years to create a hypersonic aircraft.
Image: Boeing
"Concord"- British-French supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS), one of two (together with Tu-144) types of supersonic aircraft that were in commercial operation.
Concorde was created through a merger in 1962. A total of 20 aircraft were produced. The first flight of the prototype took place in 1969, and entry into commercial service occurred in 1976. Over 27 years of regular and charter flights, more than 3 million passengers have been transported.
On July 25, 2000, one plane crashed while taking off from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, killing 113 people. This disaster suspended Concorde flights for a year and a half. In subsequent years, work was carried out to modify the aircraft fleet. But after the resumption of flights, a series of incidents followed, the most notable of which were the failure of one of the rudder sections and a fuel leak, which resulted in an engine shutdown.
On April 10, 2003, British Airways and Air France announced their decision to cease commercial operations of their Concorde fleet.
In Russia, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Professor N. E. Zhukovsky (TsAGI) is developing a project for a hypersonic passenger aircraft with liquid hydrogen engines. TsAGI General Director Kirill Sypalo said that the appearance of domestic hydrogen aircraft is scheduled for 2030–2031. It is planned that hypersonic aircraft will carry out passenger transportation throughout Russia.
Image: TsAGI
In three years Airbus, Rolls-Royce And Siemens will conduct the first flight tests of the E-Fan X hybrid aircraft. The design will be based on the BAE 146 passenger aircraft. Engineers will replace one of the four BAE 146 turbofan gas engines with a hybrid engine. Its operation will be ensured by batteries and an on-board generator running on aviation fuel.
Aurora Flight Sciences, a subsidiary of aircraft developer Boeing, launched the first solar-powered unmanned aircraft in 2019. The Odysseus unmanned scientific aircraft is designed for continuous flight and climate and atmospheric research. The creators claim that Odysseus will be able to fly for several months at a time and produce zero carbon dioxide emissions. Boeing will mainly use the drone for weather monitoring, but the range of possible applications is much wider - communications, reconnaissance, science. Boeing specialists note that they can reprogram Odysseus depending on the tasks.
Norway is moving in the same direction - organizing environmentally friendly flights. Falk-Petersen, head of the state-owned Norwegian company Avinor, said that to begin with, airlines will test “transitional technologies” - biofuels and hybrid engines. Avinor also plans to organize a tender to launch a commercial flight using a small aircraft designed for 19 passengers. The first flights of the aircraft should take place in 2025. From 2040, all short-haul aircraft in Norway will switch to electric propulsion.
Avinor AS is a public limited company that operates the majority of civil airports in Norway. The Norwegian state, through the Ministry of Transport and Communications, controls 100% of the authorized capital.
The first mass-produced electric aircraft to go on sale was the Alisport Silent Club single-seat glider in 1997. It was driven by a 13 kW engine.
Since May 2015, Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel The Alpha Electro model is a two-seat all-electric aircraft designed for training.
Lockheed Martin has already announced the completion of the “drawing” stage of aircraft development X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) and the beginning of its immediate production. The first test flight is scheduled for 2021.
Long-term cooperation between Lockheed Martin and NASA suggested the goal of creating the X-plane QueSST - testing technologies that will eventually make it possible to obtain a low-noise commercial supersonic aircraft that does not create problems for city residents.
The X-59 QueSST will fly at an altitude of 17 thousand meters at a speed of 1,512 km/h, while the noise at the moment of breaking the sound barrier will not exceed 75 dB, which corresponds to the loudness of a bang when closing a car door.
Russia has already undergone flight certification tests of two new passenger aircraft. MS-21-300. During testing, they will be subjected to repeated loads simulating at least 180 thousand flights. The uniqueness of this airliner lies in the wing made of polymer composites, the first in the world created for aircraft with a capacity of over 130 passengers. Thanks to this design, operating costs for operating the MS-21 will be 12–15% lower than those of its analogues. The share of composites in the MC-21 design is over 30% and is unique for this class of aircraft.
In 2018, Russian developers presented a new turbine engine TV7-117ST-01. Its characteristics generally increase the efficiency of the entire almost fully automated system. It has already been installed on the Il-114-300 passenger aircraft, which will be intended for operation on local airlines. The engine will increase, compared to the Il-114, the flight range with a full permissible load to 1,900 km.
Flying cars and a backpack on your back
Technical Director Rolls-Royce Paul Stein named three categories of aircraft that will be the first to switch to electric propulsion. The first category includes air taxis - small aircraft designed for one to four passengers, with a cruising range of no more than 120 km. “For such vessels, the batteries are almost ready,” Stein said. This probably explains the increased popularity of the idea of creating and putting into operation flying cars, which is what small air taxis are now called. Guardian cites Chinese Geely-owned startup Terrafugia as examples, as well as Slovenian company Pipistrel. Airbus is also developing its version of the air taxi together with specialists from Audi and its subsidiary Italdesign.
November 27 this year air taxi concept Pop.Up Next was presented in Amsterdam at the annual drone week, where it successfully demonstrated all the functions included in it.
The concept has an important feature - it is modular, thanks to which it can transport passengers both by land and by air. Pop.Up Next consists of three separate modules. A 60 kW (80 hp) electric chassis is attached to the passenger capsule, thereby forming an electric vehicle. At the same time, passengers, using a special application, will be able to call a flying module at any time (for example, hopelessly stuck in a traffic jam) and, having connected with it, arrive by air at their destination.
A separate direction in the development of civil aviation is JetMan - jet backpacks that will allow a person to fly in the future. The aircraft is controlled only by shifting the center of gravity. The backpack can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h, the maximum flight range is ten minutes.
The trend towards mobility of aircraft capable of moving even within a metropolis, unmanned technologies and hypersonic speeds already today reflects the future situation of civil aviation. Movement in three dimensions is the future of transport, which, according to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, is within 20–30 years. But perhaps all these inventions are unnecessary if soon we will only need a backpack on our back to cover a distance of a thousand kilometers.
The American space agency, together with the Boeing Corporation, has developed aircraft concepts that will take to the skies in 15 years. Currently, most aircraft concerns are trying to create spacious and powerful aircraft, but experts believe that tomorrow the main thing in the development of aircraft will be their environmental friendliness and speed. NASA and Boeing, in collaboration with engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have created several aircraft concept models that should be developed by 2025. The main task was to come up with realistic aircraft that would not contradict the laws of aerodynamics, would be able to use fuel economically and would reach a speed no less than that of currently flying aircraft.
1. Thinking outside the box
The engineers who developed this airliner are perplexed - why, given the availability of modern composite materials, the wings cannot be combined with the tail? This technology will improve the efficiency of the energy produced by aircraft engines: the air flow generated around the engine of such an aircraft is five times higher than that of modern airliners.
2. Supersonic “green” car
After Concorde and Tu-144, the world has not seen operational models of supersonic aircraft, and engineers are trying to fill this gap. Experts suggest that the next aircraft of this type will run on biofuel. The advantage of such an aircraft will be a reduction in the “sonic boom” - the overload that passengers experience when the aircraft reaches the speed of sound. This is made possible by an inverted V-twin engine, which is located above the wings rather than below as on today's aircraft.
3. Subsonic aircraft with connected wings
This aircraft is very similar to those that are already flying today, however, it will use tens of times less fuel, because, firstly, it runs on biofuel, and secondly, it has unique aerodynamics due to the air cushion formed by the wings connected to tail.
4. New generation Boeing-737
The airliner, codenamed D8, is intended to replace the Boeing 737, which currently operates the largest number of domestic flights in the world. The D8 will have 180 seats and a brand new fuselage design - it will have thin wings and a small tail, which will reduce air resistance and the amount of fuel consumed by the vessel. Although the D8's stated speed is slower than that of the Boeing 737, its larger cabin capacity and improved baggage handling system should make the aircraft more promising than its big brother.
5. New generation Boeing 777
Today, the Boeing 777 is one of the most popular aircraft for intercontinental flights, but the inquisitive minds of engineers from NASA have found a replacement for it - the airliner with the original wing will have a hybrid fuel tank, use different types of fuel, thereby consuming 70% less energy than aircraft of similar capacity do today. The new aircraft will be able to carry up to 350 people and easily make a transatlantic flight, making it much cheaper for both the company and the passenger.
6. Private jet with “virtual reality” outside the window
Thanks to its characteristics, this compact 20-seat airliner can become a threat to business aviation: it consumes a small amount of fuel, is capable of landing even on an unprepared runway, and images can be projected onto its windows, thereby acting as screens with an augmented reality function.
7. Subsonic, ultra-jet, environmentally friendly aircraft
Another concept from Boeing combines several engines running on different types of fuel - kerosene, gas and biofuel. But its main advantage is its huge wingspan, which provides excellent aerodynamics. It will be able to carry up to 150 passengers, and thanks to the hybrid engine system, significant fuel savings will be achieved. In addition, the wings are equipped with special hinges that will allow them to be folded while parked and save space at airports. Even though these airliners currently exist only on a computer screen, the work carries a high level of importance because it outlines the projects Boeing will invest in over the next few years.
With a good source of energy, even a rock or an entire house will fly, but there are problems with this because there is little progress in the development of energy production and storage. I can also add that the American Knight Hawk stealth aircraft in general should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics, which in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and does not allow and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did something that lifted a flying iron into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials and a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon, carbon, plastic, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy, and in aviation and spacecraft this is a huge problem
Source: © sites Even a rock or an entire house can fly with a good source of energy, but there are problems with this because progress in the development of energy production and storage is weak. I can also add that the American Knight Hawk stealth aircraft in general should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics, which in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and does not allow and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did something that lifted a flying iron into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials and a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon, carbon, plastic, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy, and in aviation and spacecraft this is a huge problem
Source: © Fishki.net With a good source of energy, even a rock or an entire house will fly, but there are problems with this because progress in the development of energy production and storage is weak. I can also add that the American Knight Hawk stealth aircraft in general should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics, which in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and does not allow and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did something that lifted a flying iron into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials and a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon, carbon, plastic, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy, and in aviation and spacecraft this is a huge problem
Aviation technology has developed at an astonishing rate in recent decades. Airliners are being created that consume less fuel, and developments in this direction continue. The future of passenger aircraft is associated with even greater changes, which will affect not only the design and design, but also additional possibilities for using the devices, as well as the energy sources used.
New projects in aviation
For a long time, such major companies as Boeing and Airbus had no competitors on the world market.. But the situation is changing, and the influence of other manufacturers on the world market is increasingly increasing. In the near future, it is planned to implement innovative projects to create passenger airliners and small private planes or helicopters.
At the same time, some aircraft designers believe that the future of civil aviation is connected with aircraft powered by electricity, while others are busy developing supersonic airliners.
Projects of future supersonic aircraft with their outlines resemble aircraft familiar from films about Star Wars and the works of famous science fiction writers:
- The Aerion AS2 supersonic aircraft is scheduled for release in 2023.
- NASA plans to present a prototype of the QueSST supersonic airliner, which flies almost silently, in 2020.
- The Japanese Space Agency is testing the D-SEND 2 supersonic glider, a commercial model of which is planned to be built by 2030.
- British engineers are working on a project called Skylon: they are testing a type of engine for an aircraft that will fly at speeds 5 times the speed of sound.