The blended wing body (BWB) aircraft has always fascinated the aero engineers. Basically, BWB is an aeroplane that shows no clear distinction between its main fuselage and wings, although it has them both. In theory, this design should deliver several advantages over traditional aircraft frames.
For one, such a plane would be capable of generating more lift and would face less drag as it moves through the air. When it comes to interior space, because it’s not a small tube with wings to its sides, it should deliver a lot more interior space for people to enjoy.
It is unclear exactly why blended wing body machines are not flying in the skies of our world yet. Though there have been several attempts at making them a reality: back in the 1920s, the Westland Dreadnought came out with a BWB concept, followed in the 1990s by the BWB-17 of McDonnell Douglas and NASA. At some point, even Airbus and Bombardier gave the idea a try, but nothing really came of it.
Currently, at least two companies are gunning to make blended wing body aircraft a reality of our time. JetZero is one of them, whose Z4 is expected to fly for the first time, as a demonstrator, later this decade.
Meanwhile, on July 1, the San Diego-based company Natilus released details and images showing the layout, seats, and comfort features of a new BWB, christened Horizon, and which promises to be a revolutionary design in the aviation industry.
Reportedly, the interior of the Horizon will be customisable, meaning it could be adapted to serve whatever plans airlines have for it. There are a couple of standard layouts, though, and it is them that have been detailed.
At its maximum capacity, the Horizon will be capable of carrying 250 passengers, but for now the company has released details about two configurations, only. The first would be one for 196 passengers – 40 of them seated in First Class seats at 38-inch (96 cm) pitch, 48 in Economy+ seats at 34-inch (86 cm) pitch, and 108 in Economy seats at 31-inch (79 cm) pitch.
Even if they are generally bad in today’s airplanes, the Economy seats in this plane will each be equipped with 15-inch back-of-seat infotainment systems to get passengers’ minds off things. There will be an intelligent lighting system on board that can be customised to mimic natural or ambient light and can even be synced with the infotainment system.
The plane will be powered by a pair of yet undisclosed engines, mounted on top of the fuselage. This position will make them low-noise, and they will be able to push the Horizon forward for distances of up to 4,000 miles (6,500 km) while carrying a payload of up to 25 tons.
Supposedly, the engines will eat up 25 percent less fuel than comparable tube-and-wing aircraft. That translates into 50 percent less money needed to operate the plane, according to the company working on it.
The Horizon is being designed in such a way that it will be capable of using existing airport infrastructure. It is intended to compete with the Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A320 – Natilus calls it the Boeing killer.
The company plans to have the Horizon in the air as soon as early next decade. Natilus has even begun looking for a site where to build the assembly facility – prime candidates are the US, UAE, India, and Saudi Arabia. Initial details say the place will cover 2.5 million square feet (232,257 square meters) and it will employ some 3,000 people.
