Airbus Launches Full-Scale Foldable Wing Extensions for A321neo Flight Tests
Airbus Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
We are launching a new three-year flight test campaign for our Wing of Tomorrow programme. We will install full-scale wing extensions on an A321neo aircraft to evaluate high-span wing performance in real flight conditions. These tests will help us understand how folding wing geometries impact aircraft handling and efficiency for next-generation single-aisle planes.
For more than 50 years, Airbus has spearheaded innovation in aviation to shape the future of flight.
- happyopossum
FTA: The extensions, each measuring several metres, will replicate a folding wing in the fully extended position during a flight
So no, they are not foldable today - the headline submitted to HN is total clickbait.
- MaxikCZ
No pics?
- jsrozner
It looks like you can get ~10-20% efficiency gain from these kinds of wings.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/11/18/175391/folding-w...
That's a meaningful improvement but not that big. Perhaps the limits to this kind of technology are ~50% fuel gain?
https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/01/24/180345/hybrid-wi...
We've got AI, but I'm still waiting on exponential technological gains. So far I've mostly gotten exponential enshittification of my google experience. Is AI going to unlock the detonation engine and bring down the cost of my plane ticket?
https://www.technologyreview.com/2012/11/23/181486/exploding...
- bilsbie
What’s the purpose of doing this? (Site won’t load for me)
- sleepyguy
>The Wing of Tomorrow programme is centred around creating longer, lighter, and more slender wings to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel burn. The wing extensions will be assembled at Airbus’ Wing Technology Development Centre in the UK and flight tested in Toulouse.
I can't say for certain, but I believe Boeing may have explored this concept at some point. The idea would be to equip aircraft with mechanically extendable wingtips that could expand outward by several meters during flight and retract while on the ground.
The primary challenge is that most airport gates cannot accommodate aircraft with a significantly larger wingspan. Retractable wingtips would allow the aircraft to benefit from the improved aerodynamic efficiency and fuel savings of a longer wing in flight, while still fitting within existing gate infrastructure during boarding, deplaning, and parking.