Researchers are testing a 21-foot wingspan prototype of the X-48B, a blended wing body aircraft, in the Langley Full-Scale Tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Boeing Phantom Works has partnered with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory to study the structural, aerodynamic, and operational advantages of the advanced aircraft concept, which looks like a modified triangular-shaped wing and not like a conventional plane. The Air Force has designated the prototype the "X-48B" based on their interest in the design's potential as a multi-role, long-range, high-capacity military aircraft. |