Blended Wing Body
Boeing’s X-48B Blended Wing Body (BWB) demonstrator is a cutting edge experimental aircraft with potential tanking, weapons carriage and command and control applications. The X-48 eliminates the conventional tail rudder and has 20 control surfaces on the trailing edge, including ailerons and elevons, as well as rudders on the winglets. This innovative design of the X-48B allows for less drag, which translates to reduced fuel use at cruise conditions. And because the engines mount high on the back of the aircraft, there is less noise inside and on the ground when it is in flight.