Boeing to continue blended wing body research as X-48C flight-tests set to begin

Boeing's Phantom Works advanced research division is to shortly begin a six-month flight-trials campaign of the X-48C Blended Wing Body (BWB) test vehicle as it looks to continue its research into the low speed handling qualities of such a configuration for a future military strategic airlifter.

Speaking at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California, on 21 June, X-48C program manager Mike Kisska said that the company is looking to begin flying the scale-model aircraft in mid- to late-July and will continue through to the end of 2012.

Kisska said the flight-trials campaign will repeat many of the test points from the preceeding X-48B programme in order to make a comparison between the two slightly different airframe configurations.

In terms of the differences between the X-48B and X-48C, the latter has had the winglet rudders removed and replaced with two new inboard elevons (a control surface that combines the functions of an elevator and an aileron). The three nacelles of the X-48B have also been removed and replaced with two turbojet engines. Other than that, Kisska said, the two 6.22 m (20 ft 5 inches) wingspan airframes are almost identical.