NASA and The Boeing Company will team up to build a new design of aircraft known as the X-66A, after the US Air Force designated research status for the plane’s design.
Aimed at aiding US 2050 net zero targets, the new ‘X-plane’ - a name given to “revolutionary experimental aircraft” - will boast a design of longer, thinner wings supported with diagonal struts off the body of the jet.
“To reach our goal of net zero aviation emissions by 2050, we need transformative aircraft concepts like [these],” NASA associate administrator Bob Pearce said.
“With this experimental aircraft, we’re aiming high to demonstrate the kinds of energy-saving, emissions-reducing technologies the aviation industry needs.”
NASA will provide US$425mln toward the development of the prototype jet, which will be built using a modified MD-90 aircraft, while Boeing and “partners” will invest an estimated US$725mln.
According to NASA, the new design could result in 30% less fuel consumption and lower emissions as a result, “when combined with other advancements in propulsion systems”.
Though the space agency did not clarify which engines would be used to power the X-66A,the likes of Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:RR.) and General Electric (NYSE:GE) have recently rolled out increasingly efficient power units.
General Electric (NYSE:GE) designed the new GE9X engine specifically for Boeing’s 777X jet family, a design of twin-engine aircraft the company claims will be the “largest and most efficient” ever.
Rolls-Royce meanwhile has already made strides in developing Trent 1000 engines able to run on less-polluting sustainable aviation fuel, which can power Boeing jets such as the 787 Dreamliner.
Most recently, Rolls-Royce successfully tested the all-new, more efficient UltraFan engine, the FTSE 100-firm’s first fresh design in 54 years.