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Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

airandspaceforces.com

11–20 of 114 posts

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#11
post #6

They say there's a lot more volume, but would it carry more weight, and where would the weight have to be placed? Why isn't this design used commercially?

> Why isn't this design used commercially?

Commercial airports. Planforms that don't fit the existing leased gate regime are non-starters.

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#12

The KC-46 program has not gone swimmingly. I'm curious how they think they're going to get a demonstrator flying in 5 years when they can't get a tanker that's based on an existing production airframe flying on schedule. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_KC-46_Pegasus

Maybe working off an existing design is harder than greenfield?

If that were true why did we get the 737 MAX?

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#13

The KC-46 program has not gone swimmingly. I'm curious how they think they're going to get a demonstrator flying in 5 years when they can't get a tanker that's based on an existing production airframe flying on schedule. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_KC-46_Pegasus

Maybe NGAD rapid development cycles can be applied.

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#14
post #6

They say there's a lot more volume, but would it carry more weight, and where would the weight have to be placed? Why isn't this design used commercially?

It would only work for cargo and would have other issues.

Almost all commercial planes are for both cargo and passengers, and you’d have to bank really slowly if that was full of passengers.

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#15
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe working off an existing design is harder than greenfield?

If that were true why did we get the 737 MAX?

Actually, the 737 MAX as a new plane would have been fine. The MCAS software was used to try to give it the same flight characteristics as the 737 so that existing 737 pilots did not have to get additional certification for it.

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#16
post #8
post #2

Blended-wing body makes a lot of sense for cargo/tanker aircraft. No issues with emergency evacuation procedure for passengers.

Could it make sense for a fighter?

Possibly, depending if you think it needs to dogfight or not. The F35 actually can dogfight pretty much fine, due to the semi lifting body (after they fixed the software, old articles, pre 2016 really, are outdated), but blended wing is not the same thing. If you see the stuff the US is doing with NGAD concepts that pretty much only do beyond visual range and don't have guns it could be fine. Some of them are more fighter/stand off weapon delivery "bombers" like the B52 are becoming now.

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#17
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that were true why did we get the 737 MAX?

Actually, the 737 MAX as a new plane would have been fine. The MCAS software was used to try to give it the same flight characteristics as the 737 so that existing 737 pilots did not have to get additional certification for it.

Yeah, but they didn’t just build a new plane (pilots perhaps?) and instead always seem to try to modify existing designs, which would argue that is cheaper than greenfield.

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#18
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe working off an existing design is harder than greenfield?

If that were true why did we get the 737 MAX?

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but I'll bite:

The 747 MAX that killed 346 people in two separate accidents and was grounded for nearly two years and cost Boeing 10's of billions of dollars in fines, cancelled orders, etc.?

It is perhaps not the best example of modifications to an existing design.

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#19

The KC-46 program has not gone swimmingly. I'm curious how they think they're going to get a demonstrator flying in 5 years when they can't get a tanker that's based on an existing production airframe flying on schedule. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_KC-46_Pegasus

P8 went pretty well. Blended wing isn’t sci-fi, B2 and plenty of ucav are full flying wing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-8_Poseidon

Re: Air Force Plans New Blended Wing Body Cargo/Tanker Aircraft by 2027

#20
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe working off an existing design is harder than greenfield?

If that were true why did we get the 737 MAX?

Aren’t you answering your own question?

The 737 was harder than a new design - that’s why it went wrong.

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