Greener air travel Airbus tests new wing technology at its Filton site
AIRBUS has completed key tests at its site near Bristol of new aircraft wing technology it says could help decarbonise the aviation industry.
The aerospace giant has run wind-tunnel trials of its eXtra Performance Wing demonstrator at its base in Filton, South Gloucestershire.
Launched last September, Airbus has said the project aims to improve wing aerodynamics and performance in a bid to reduce CO2 emissions, and is intended to be compatible with any future aircraft configuration and propulsion system.
Airbus’ aerodynamics teams in Filton ran the tests on a low-speed wind tunnel, which replicates conditions similar to aircraft take-off and landing wind speeds. The simulator is also used by external organisations testing F1 cars, ship radar systems, urban air mobility vehicles, as well as more conventional aircraft.
The eXtra Performance Wing will examine onboard technologies, like gust sensors, pop-up spoilers and multifunctional trailing edges, to enable the active control of the wing.
Oliver Family, head of the eXtra Performance Wing UK project, explained: “The scaled demonstrator will integrate and fly breakthrough wing technologies using a remote-controlled Cessna Citation VII business jet platform in representative flight conditions.
“The partly 3D-printed windtunnel model – expertly built by the aerodynamics team at Airbus’ low-speed, wind-tunnel facility in Bristol – is a scaleddown version of the Cessna jet, incorporating the lightweight, long-span design of the eXtra Performance Wing that will provide the emissions benefits we are striving for.”
Mr Family said the Filton wind-tunnel tests were a “fantastic way” to validate concepts about the new technology, which he said would now be “rapidly integrated” for flight testing.
The project is hosted within Airbus subsidiary UpNext, which was created to fast-track radical technological breakthroughs at speed and scale for potential new products and services.