Airbus estimates that laminar-flow wings could reduce drag by around 10%, cutting fuel burn by up to 5% on an 800nm (1,480km) sector.

Major components for Europe’s laminar-flow flight demonstrator have been shipped to Airbus for installation on a modified A340-300, which is scheduled to begin flight tests in 2017.

The laminar wing will look different to current designs, with much less sweep, a thinner and shorter leading edge and a smaller radius to its curvature. The new wing could reduce drag by 10% ...

The BLADE project – which stands for “Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe” – is tasked with assessing the feasibility of introducing the technology for commercial aviation ...

Major components for Europe’s laminar-flow flight demonstrator have been shipped to Airbus for installation on a modified A340-300, which is scheduled to begin flight tests in 2017.

A new artificial intelligence tool could accelerate the design of cutting-edge aircraft wings.

A supersonic natural laminar flow wing differs from earlier supersonic designs, such as the Concorde’s modified delta wing. It is relatively straight (low sweep), wide and very thin, allowing the wing ...

Let's look at the case of the airplane wing in more detail. In practice, only a thin layer of air is affected by friction with the wing. This layer, often only several millimeters thick, is called the ...

Airbus’s A340 laminar-flow test demonstrator took to the air for the first time Tuesday for the EU-sponsored Clean Sky “Blade” project. The four-engine jet, dubbed “Flight Lab,” took off ...

Airbus’ A340 laminar-flow Blade test demonstrator aircraft has made its successful maiden flight for the EU-sponsored Clean Sky Blade project. The aircraft, dubbed Flight Lab, took off from the ...