NASA, in partnership with Boeing, has introduced a new livery for the X-66A aircraft, a part of the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator initiative. The X-66A is a pioneering X-plane dedicated to the U.S.’s aim of achieving net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions, as stated in the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan. Credit: Boeing
NASA and Boeing reveal the new livery for the X-66A, an aircraft designed for sustainable flight and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
NASA and Boeing have unveiled a new livery for the X-66A aircraft that will be produced through the agency’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator.
The X-66A is the first X-plane specifically focused on helping the United States achieve the goal of net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions, which was articulated in the White House’s U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan.
The Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project seeks to inform a potential new generation of more sustainable single-aisle aircraft – the workhorse of passenger airlines around the world. Boeing will work with NASA to build, test, and fly the X-66A, a full-scale demonstrator aircraft. The X-66A with extra-long, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts, known as a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept.
NASA and Boeing unveiled the livery at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
The X-66A is the X-plane specifically aimed at helping the United States achieve the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To build the X-66A, Boeing will work with NASA to modify an MD-90 aircraft, shortening the fuselage and replacing its wings and engines. The resulting demonstrator aircraft will have long, thin wings with engines mounted underneath and a set of aerodynamic trusses for support. The design, which Boeing submitted for NASA’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, is known as a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing. Credit: NASA
The X-66A, an innovative aircraft created through NASA’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project in partnership with Boeing, aims to pave the way for more eco-friendly single-aisle aircraft, which are fundamental to passenger airlines worldwide. A standout feature of the X-66A is its Transonic Truss-Braced Wing design—extra-long wings stabilized by diagonal struts. This aircraft is instrumental in NASA’s commitment to leading in aeronautics and environmental conservation.
The primary goal of the X-66A is to bolster efforts towards achieving net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan. Notably, the X-66A has the potential to consume up to 30% less fuel and produce significantly fewer emissions compared to current top-tier aircraft. With single-aisle planes accounting for nearly half of global aviation emissions, the X-66A’s sustainable design could immensely reduce the carbon footprint.