Version 1
: Received: 1 May 2024 / Approved: 1 May 2024 / Online: 1 May 2024 (07:43:25 CEST)
How to cite:
Fernandes, G.; Maldonado, V. The U.S Air Force Next-Generation Air-Refueling System: a Resurgence of the Blended wing Body?. Preprints2024, 2024050053. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0053.v1
Fernandes, G.; Maldonado, V. The U.S Air Force Next-Generation Air-Refueling System: a Resurgence of the Blended wing Body?. Preprints 2024, 2024050053. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0053.v1
Fernandes, G.; Maldonado, V. The U.S Air Force Next-Generation Air-Refueling System: a Resurgence of the Blended wing Body?. Preprints2024, 2024050053. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0053.v1
APA Style
Fernandes, G., & Maldonado, V. (2024). The U.S Air Force Next-Generation Air-Refueling System: a Resurgence of the Blended wing Body?. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0053.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Fernandes, G. and Victor Maldonado. 2024 "The U.S Air Force Next-Generation Air-Refueling System: a Resurgence of the Blended wing Body?" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0053.v1
Abstract
The interest in flying wings dates as far the early years of the aviation age. Over the 20th century, numerous attempts were made to investigate the feasibility of the concept, which demonstrated numerous early benefits: increased aerodynamic efficiency, reduced fuel consumption and lower noise and pollutant emissions compared to conventional tube and wing aircraft.
However, major technical challenges prevented that type of design from entering mass production, especially with regards to structural design and manufacturing, stability and control and ride quality. In the 1990’s, a new concept, the blended wing body (BWB), was created to alleviate some of the concerns of flying wings while maintaining increased efficiency. Despite the promise, technical hurdles once again proved to be a deal breaker, and as of 2024, the only flying wing to enter serial production is the B-2 Spirit, an extremely complex and expensive aircraft.
Thirty years later, as the world is quickly transitioning towards cleaner energy, the interest in the blended wing body has been renewed. The latest technological advancements in the aerospace industry should make the development of the BWB more plausible, however passenger comfort issues remain.
Surprisingly, the BWB development may come from an unexpected application: as a tanker aircraft. As the U.S. Air Force is seeking a replacement to hundreds of aging tankers, a startup company was recently funded to develop the concept and build a prototype.
In this study, we explore the history of blended designs from its early days, highlighting its opportunities and challenges – and why the design is an intriguing fit for application as a tanker aircraft.
Keywords
USAF; NGAS; tanker; BWB
Subject
Engineering, Aerospace Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
