Airbus unveils blended wing aircraft demonstrator at Singapore show

European aeronautics major Airbus on Tuesday unveiled a blended-wing, body-scale model technological demonstrator called Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls (MAVERIC).

At 2 metres long and 3.2 metres wide with a surface area of about 2.25 square metres, MAVERIC features a disruptive aircraft design that has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent compared to current single-aisle aircraft.

"The blended wing body configuration also opens up new possibilities for propulsion systems type and integration, as well as a versatile cabin for a totally new on-board passenger experience," Airbus said in a statement issued at the week-long Singapore Air Show 2020 which opened today.

Launched in 2017, MAVERIC first took to the skies in June 2019. Since then, the flight-test campaign has been on-going and will continue until the end of Q2 2020.

"Airbus is leveraging emerging technologies to pioneer the future of flight. By testing disruptiveaircraft configurations, Airbus is able to evaluate their potential as viable future products," said Jean Brice Dumont, Executive Vice President for Airbus Engineering.

"Although there is no specific timeline for entry into service, this technological demonstrator could be instrumental in bringing about change in commercial aircraft architectures for an environmentally sustainable future for the aviation industry," he said.

Airbus said it is using its core strengths and capabilities of engineering and manufacturing, in close collaboration with an extended innovation ecosystem, to accelerate traditional research and development cycles.

By doing this, Airbus is able to achieve proof of concepts at a convincing scale and speed, thereby driving forward maturity and increasing their value.

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. It generates annual revenues of 64 billion euros and employs a workforce of about 134,000.

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