NASA & Boeing To "Shape Future Of Aviation" With X-66A

NASA's latest experimental aircraft, designed in collaboration with Boeing as part of NASA's Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, has been given a name. The United States Air Force has designated the plane as the X-66A.

This groundbreaking aircraft is the first X-plane specifically designed to help the United States achieve its net-zero goal for aviation greenhouse gas emissions, as outlined in the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan released by the White House in 2021.

According to NASA, the X-66A has the potential to shape the future of aviation by informing the development of a new generation of sustainable single-aisle aircraft.

Single-aisle aircraft currently serve as the backbone of passenger air travel but also contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately half of aviation emissions globally. By creating a sustainable version of these aircraft, the X-66A has the potential to make a major impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"The X-66A will help shape the future of aviation, a new era where aircraft are greener, cleaner, and quieter and create new possibilities for the flying public and American industry alike." - NASA Administrator Bill Nelson

Under a Funded Space Act Agreement between NASA and Boeing, NASA will invest $425 million over seven years in the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project. In addition to providing facilities and technical expertise, Boeing and its partners will contribute an estimated $725 million to the project's funding.

Together, they will build and fly a full-scale demonstration of the X-66A, featuring extra-long, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts in a design known as a "Transonic Truss-Braced Wing."

The X-66A has achieved the prestigious status of an X-plane, a designation granted by the Air Force to development programs focused on creating revolutionary experimental aircraft configurations. X-planes are primarily research aircraft designed to test novel designs and new technologies that can be integrated into future aircraft.

In the case of the X-66A, the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing configuration, combined with advancements in propulsion systems and materials, could potentially reduce fuel consumption by 30% and significantly lower emissions compared to current "best-in-class" aircraft.

"With the learnings gained from design, construction, and flight testing, we'll have an opportunity to shape the future of flight and contribute to the decarbonization of aerospace." - Todd Citron, Boeing's Chief Technology Officer

The X-66A joins a long line of X-planes developed by NASA and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), dating back to the 1940s.

With its focus on emission reduction, the X-66A is poised to be one of the most significant X-planes to date.