The start to a new supersonic era is most likely upon us as Boom announced its engine supplier earlier this month, and the Airbus A321XLR is predicted to be a gamechanging aircraft. While increased speed and range may be the focus of a few projects, much of research and engineering these days are geared towards creating more fuel efficient powerplants and aircraft.The regional aircraft space is forging ahead with novel propulsion architecture towards the middle of the century. Meanwhile, few are looking beyond the now classic tube-and-wing shape for the airframe - but a few are willing to brave new horizons in terms of aircraft design. Let's take a closer look at these and another potentially disruptive project in the widebody market.

Airbus’ blended wing MAVERIC

In February 2020 (before certain other global events stole the limelight), Airbus revealed a demonstrator scale model of a potential plane for future long-haul travel. The MAVERIC (Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls) explores the possibility of reshaping the fundamental design of passenger jets to create a more fuel-efficient, aerodynamic aircraft.

airbus maveric rendering from the side
Photo: Airbus 

While the comparisons being drawn up against the MAVERIC lean largely on the single-aisle market, you could hardly call this a narrowbody. Airbus says that the design has the potential to deliver real environmental performance benefits, including around 20% lower fuel burn than the equivalent standard aircraft. It could also serve as a foundation for novel propulsion systems, as the shape offers a solution to the much-discussed hydrogen storage problem.

rendering of MAVERIC cabin
Photo: Airbus

Indeed, Airbus has also based one of its ZEROe aircraft concepts on the same principles as the MAVERIC. However, this is far from the most likely to be the first hydrogen-powered offering from Airbus, as the aerospace engineer says that changing both the propulsion system and completely altering the airframe design would be too much in one go.

Airbus hydrogen blended wing rendition
Photo: Airbus

Flying V

Airbus is not the only developer to look at a blended wing body (BWB) design jet. Germany, USSR, Britain, and the US all experimented with it before WWII, and there was even some interest in developing it for passenger use. Another more modern version is the 'Flying V' proposed design from a collaboration between Dutch national airline KLM and Delft University. It would be a long-haul, high-capacity (around 314 passengers) aircraft.

The wing design of the Flying V itself is narrower than that of the MAVERIC, which could help in transitioning airport operations to accommodate for the change in fuselage shape. As you can see below, a demonstrator model took to the skies for the first time in autumn 2020.

The super-efficient tri-wing

Alabama startup SE Aeronautics has similarly thrown the rulebook out of the window with its own future aircraft concept. The SE200 (SE standing for Super Efficient) uses a tri-wing arrangement, with a double tail fin and two highly efficient engines mounted to the rear. Its creators say that it will reduce CO2 production by an estimated 80% per seat kilometer and reduce fuel burn by an estimated 70%.

Speaking of fuel, storage is no longer part of the wing functionality, meaning wings can be thinner and more aerodynamic. Instead, fuel is stored on a bladder on top of the fuselage, which itself is designed to be of monocoque construction. That means it’s made from one piece of composite material, reducing fatigue and thus improving safety for passengers.

The company claims that this unusual design will also allow for short take-off and landing capabilities. It remains to be seen, however, if this creation ever makes it off the drawing board, as there has been little news since the unveiling of the concept in March 2021.

The double bubble

When a development team includes the likes of Aurora Flight Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Pratt & Whitney, you know the concept is going to be something extraordinary. The Aurora D8 ‘double bubble’ widebody is based on the fuselage of a Boeing 737-800 but is essentially two fuselages placed side by side – making for a twin-aisle cabin configuration.

Although it is a widebody, it was never intended to fly long-haul. The D8’s mission profile would be for 180 passengers to a range of 3,000 NM (5,556 km), with the added benefit of faster loading and deplaning thanks to its twin aisles. But the real objective, naturally, is to achieve lower fuel burn.

The developers suggest that the D8 could achieve a 49% reduction in fuel burn, mostly thanks to its unique appearance. The natural laminar flow on the bottom of the wing and its lifting body shape would reduce Boundary Layer Ingestion (BLI), meaning it could successfully fly with smaller and lighter engines. Placing those engines above the flat fuselage means they could work to energize the wake for a reduction in drag.

As with the other featured aircraft here, for now, this is just a paper plane. But there is one disruptor that is not quite so groundbreaking in design terms that is very likely to appear in our skies in the coming years - if the two countries partnering on it can reach an understanding on supply chain issues.

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China’s contender

While these other featured planes are nothing more than concepts right now, one manufacturer is putting its money where its mouth is and jumping into developing an alternative to Boeing and Airbus dual-aisle jets. Chinese-Russian partnership CRAIC is working on its CR929 widebody, a proposed 280 seat aircraft that is set to compete with the likes of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The collaboration, which has been hampered lately by geopolitical fallout from Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine, has revealed plans to offer the CR929 in three different configurations. The CR929-600 will fly 280 passengers to 6,480 NM, the CR929-500 will carry 250 to 7,560 NM, and the larger CR929-700 will boast a capacity of 320 passengers but only to a range of 5,400 NM.

A CR929 model aircraft.
Photo: Fifg/Shutterstock

Russian and Chinese representatives are scheduled to meet in January 2023, when they believe they will be able to establish a timeline for production. Whatever they agree on, it will be some time before we see the aircraft entering fleets. Predicted first deliveries are not expected until 2029, and it remains to be seen if the CRAIC-produced aircraft can really compete with the industry stalwarts. And while it is still very much a tube-and-wing design, flying long-haul on anything other than Boeing or Airbus in the 21st century this far would be a rarity indeed.

Which of these aircraft do you think has the potential to disrupt the widebody market? Let us know in the comments.