The plane of the future is supersonic. What the planes of the future look like: hypersonic speed and solar power

The American space agency, in conjunction with the Boeing corporation, has developed the concepts of aircraft that will take to the skies in 15 years. Currently, most aviation concerns are trying to create roomy and powerful aircraft, but experts believe that tomorrow, the main thing in the development of aircraft will be their environmental friendliness and speed. NASA and Boeing, in collaboration with engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have created several concept aircraft models that should be developed by 2025. The main challenge was to come up with realistic aircraft that will not contradict the laws of aerodynamics, will be able to economically use fuel and will develop a speed no less than that of the airplanes flying today.

1. Thinking outside the box

The engineers who developed this airliner are perplexed - why, in the presence of modern composite materials, the wings cannot be aligned with the tail? This technology will improve the efficiency of the energy produced by aircraft engines: the air flow around the engine of such an aircraft is five times higher than that of modern airliners.

2. Supersonic "green" car

After the Concorde and Tu-144, the world has not seen operating models supersonic aircraft, and engineers are trying to fill this gap. Experts believe that the next aircraft of this type will run on biofuel. The advantage of such an aircraft will be the reduction of the "sonic boom" - the overload experienced by passengers when the aircraft picks up the speed of sound. This is made possible by an inverted V-engine that sits above the fenders, rather than lower as in today's aircraft.

3. Subsonic aircraft with connected wings

This plane is very similar to those that are already flying today, but it will use ten times less fuel, because, firstly, it runs on biofuel, and secondly, it has unique aerodynamics due to the air cushion formed by the wings connected to tail.

4. New generation Boeing-737

The airliner, codenamed D8, is intended to replace the Boeing 737, which is currently carrying the largest number of domestic flights in the world. D8 will have 180 seats and a qualitatively new fuselage design - it will receive thin wings and a small tail, which will reduce air resistance and the amount of fuel consumed by the ship. Despite the fact that the declared speed of the D8 is less than that of the Boeing-737, a large cabin capacity and an improved system of loading and unloading baggage should make this aircraft more promising than its "big brother".

5. New generation Boeing 777

Today, the Boeing-777 is one of the most popular aircraft for intercontinental flights, but the inquisitive minds of NASA engineers have found a replacement for it - the airliner with the original wing will have a hybrid fuel tank, use different types of fuel, thereby consuming 70% less energy. than aircraft of similar tonnage do today. The new plane will be able to take on board up to 350 people and easily make a transatlantic flight, making it, moreover, much cheaper for both the company and the passenger.

6. Private jet with "virtual reality" outside the window

Due to its characteristics, this compact 20-seat liner can become a thunderstorm for business aviation: it consumes a small amount of fuel, is able to land even on an unprepared runway, and an image can be projected onto its windows, thereby they will act as screens with augmented reality function.

7. Subsonic, ultra-jet environmentally friendly aircraft

Another concept from Boeing combines several engines that run on different types of fuel - kerosene, gas and biofuels. But its main advantage is its huge wingspan, which provides excellent aerodynamics. It will be able to take on board up to 150 passengers, and thanks to the hybrid engine system, significant fuel savings will be achieved. In addition, special loops are provided in the wings, which will allow them to be folded during parking and save space at airports. Despite the fact that these airliners so far exist only on a computer screen, the work has high level importance as it outlines the projects that Boeing will invest in over the next few years.

The development of aviation technology in recent decades has been at an astonishing pace. Liners are being created that consume less fuel, and development in this direction continues. Future passenger aircraft associated with even greater changes that will affect not only the construction and design, but also additional possibilities of using the apparatus, as well as the energy sources used.

New projects in aviation

For a long time in the world market, such largest companies as Boeing and Airbus had no competitors.... But the situation is changing, and the influence of other manufacturers on the world market is increasing more and more. In the near future, it is planned to implement innovative projects to create passenger airliners and small private jets or helicopters.

At the same time, some aircraft designers believe that the future civil aviation associated with aircraft powered by electricity, others are engaged in the development of supersonic airliners.

Projects of future supersonic aircraft with their outlines resemble aircraft familiar from films about Star Wars and the works of famous science fiction writers:

1. Release supersonic aircraft Aerion AS2 is scheduled for 2023.
2. A prototype of the QueSST supersonic airliner, flying almost silently, NASA plans to present in 2020.
3. The Japanese space agency is testing the D-SEND 2 supersonic aircraft, which is slated to be commercialized by 2030.
4. British engineers are involved in a project called Skylon: they are testing a type of engine for an aircraft that will fly at a speed of 5 times the speed of sound.

WITH good source energy will fly even a rock or a whole house, and this is a problem because there is little progress in the development of energy production and storage. I can also add that the American stealth aircraft Knight Hawk generally should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics that in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and prevents and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did what a flying iron was lifted into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials, a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon-carbon plastic, carbon fiber, fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy and in aviation and in spaceships this is a huge problem.

Source: © site with a good source of energy, even a rock or a whole house will fly and this is a problem because there is little progress in the development of energy production and storage. I can also add that the American stealth aircraft Knight Hawk generally should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics that in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and prevents and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did what a flying iron was lifted into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials, a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon-carbon plastic, carbon fiber, fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy and in aviation and in spaceships this is a huge problem.

Source: © Fishki.net with a good source of energy, even a rock or a whole house will fly and this is a problem because there is little progress in the development of energy production and storage. I can also add that the American stealth aircraft Knight Hawk generally should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics that in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and prevents and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did what a flying iron was lifted into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials, a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon-carbon plastic, carbon fiber, fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy and in aviation and in spaceships this is a huge problem.

The founder of Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson, announced his readiness to launch a dozen into the sky, the era of which, according to the businessman, is returning. Earlier on the development of supersonic passenger aviation stated to NASA. Despite many years of "pause" of mass production of supersonic aircraft, this topic continued to be discussed and the designers did not stop working on projects.

Screemr

When it comes to the travel of the future, passengers first and foremost dream of getting to their destination as quickly as possible. It is in the speed that the concept of the project of a supersonic passenger liner Screemr, introduced in 2015 by Canadian engineer Charles Bombardier and designer Ray Mattison. The name of the founder of the Bombardier company is well known. As for his partner, designer Ray Mattison has already worked for Cirrus Aircraft and Exodus Machines, he also owns the concept of a hybrid aircraft with a motorcycle Icarus wingless aircraft.

The Screemr plane must be 10 times faster than the speed of sound, and a flight, for example, from London to New York will take only half an hour. As conceived by the authors of the project, Screemr will be launched using an electromagnetic gun and fly on a liquid rocket engine(kerosene or liquid oxygen). As a result, it should accelerate to 12.4 thousand km / h. The Screemr is expected to accommodate up to 75 passengers and is expected to operate transcontinental flights.

Lapcat

Lapcat was developed by designers from Reaction Engines and was financially supported by British aerospace company BAE Systems. As conceived by the developers, Lapcat should pick up speed up to Mach 5, that is, about 6 thousand km / h, which is two and a half times the speed of the Concorde. Thus, it will be possible to fly, say, from London to Sydney in just four hours (the flight time on a regular plane will be 20 hours). V aircraft it is supposed to use the conceptual engine "Yatagan", which exploits the thermodynamic properties of liquid hydrogen.

"Concorde-2"

The project of the supersonic passenger liner Concorde 2, capable of flying at Mach 4.5, was presented a year ago by the aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The plane should fly from London to New York in just an hour, and from Tokyo to Los Angeles in three hours. As conceived by the developers, "Concorde-2" takes off vertically and flies along specially designated air corridors at an altitude of about 30.5 km. A video was even posted on the YouTube channel, schematically demonstrating the capabilities of the aircraft. They were described as "the tallest roller coaster with steep inclines and descents, as well as high speed."

The Airbus patent describes three different types of engine: ramjet, twin turbojet, and rocket. It is planned that they will be involved at different stages of the plane's journey to its destination. At the same time, according to the assurances of the engineers, in contrast to the first Concorde, the sound clap (a classic obstacle to the development of supersonic aircraft) will be quieter for the Concorde-2. True, the number of passengers that the new plane can take on board is limited to only two dozen, which means that the flight will be very expensive.

Antipode

This is another concept presented by the restless Charles Bombardier at the end of January this year. If earlier supersonic projects limited themselves to the framework of reality, then specifications look absolutely fantastic. Its top speed is Mach 24, which is 12 times the speed of the Concorde. Therefore, a New Yorker will be able to reach London in 11 minutes on such a plane, to Shanghai in 24 minutes, and to Sydney in 32 minutes. Almost teleportation.

Engineer Joseph Hazeltein, who is involved in the Bombardier project, proposed an innovative aerodynamic phenomenon called long penetration mode (LPM): special nozzles on the nose of the aircraft draw in air, cooling the aircraft's hull. This would solve the problem of the aircraft overheating at that speed. Antipode can take off from any airfield using reusable booster rockets. They are attached to the wings of the aircraft and when it gains the required speed and altitude, they are dropped and returned back to base. A serious disadvantage of the project is the aircraft's capacity - the cabin is designed for only 10 passengers. Therefore, it would be more expedient to use it on expensive business trips or as a military aircraft.

Supersonic aircraft projects of the future

When can a new supersonic passenger plane take off? Business jet based on the Tu-160 bomber: is it real? How to silently break the sound barrier?

Tu-160 - the largest and most powerful in history military aviation supersonic aircraft and aircraft with variable wing geometry. Among the pilots he received the nickname "White Swan". Photo: AP

Do supersonic passenger cars have a prospect? - I asked not so long ago the outstanding Russian aircraft designer Genrikh Novozhilov.

Of course have. At least a supersonic business plane will definitely appear, ”replied Genrikh Vasilyevich. - I have had occasion to talk with American businessmen more than once. They clearly stated: "If such an aircraft appeared, Mr. Novozhilov, then, no matter how expensive it is, it would be instantly bought from you." Speed, altitude and range are three factors that are always relevant.

Yes, they are. The dream of any businessman is to fly across the ocean in the morning, conclude a big deal, and return home in the evening. Modern aircraft fly no faster than 900 km / h. A supersonic business jet will have a cruising speed of about 1900 km per hour. What are the prospects for the business world!

That is why neither Russia, nor America, nor Europe have ever abandoned attempts to create a new supersonic passenger car. But the history of those that have already flown - the Soviet Tu-144 and the Anglo-French Concorde - taught a lot.

In December of this year, it will be half a century since the Tu-144 made its first flight. A year later, the liner showed exactly what it was capable of: it broke the sound barrier. He picked up a speed of 2.5 thousand km / h at an altitude of 11 km. This event went down in history. There are still no analogues of passenger aircraft in the world that are capable of repeating such a maneuver.

"One hundred and forty-four" has opened a fundamentally new page in the world aircraft construction. They say that at one of the meetings in the Central Committee of the CPSU, designer Andrei Tupolev reported to Khrushchev: the car turns out to be quite gluttonous. But he just waved his hand: your business is to wipe the capitalists' nose, and we have kerosene - at least fill up ...

Wipe your nose. Kerosene - flooded.

However, the European competitor, which took off later, also did not differ in efficiency. So, in 1978 nine Concordes brought their companies about $ 60 million in losses. And only government subsidies saved the day. Nevertheless, the "Anglo-French" flew until November 2003. But the Tu-144 was written off much earlier. Why?

First of all, Khrushchev's optimism was not justified: an energy crisis broke out in the world and the prices of kerosene rushed up. The supersonic first-born was immediately dubbed “a boa constrictor on the neck of Aeroflot.” Huge fuel consumption knocked out the design range of flights: Tu-144 did not reach either Khabarovsk or Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, only from Moscow to Alma-Ata.

And if only that. A 200-ton "iron", cruising over densely populated areas at supersonic speed, literally blew up the entire space along the route. Complaints rained down: cows' milk yield dropped, chickens stopped rushing, acid rains crushed ... But the fact remains: "Concorde" flew only over the ocean.

Finally, the most important thing is disasters. One - in June 1973 at the air show in Paris Le Bourget, as they say, in full view of the entire planet: the crew of test pilot Kozlov wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of the Soviet liner ... Another - in five years. Then a test flight was performed with engines of a new series: they just had to pull the plane to the required range.

The Concorde did not escape tragedy either: the plane crashed in July 2000 while departing from Charles de Gaulle airport. Ironically, it collapsed almost where the Tu-144 used to be. 109 people on board and four on the ground were killed. Regular Passenger Transportation resumed only a year later. But a series of incidents followed, and they also put a fat point on this supersonic aircraft.

On December 31, 1968, the first flight of the Tu-144 took place, two months earlier than the Concorde. And on June 5, 1969, at an altitude of 11,000 meters, our plane was the first in the world to break beyond the sound barrier. Photo: Sergey Mikheev / RG

Today, at a new stage in the development of technology, scientists need to find a balance between conflicting factors: good aerodynamics of a new supersonic aircraft, low fuel consumption, as well as severe restrictions on noise and sonic boom.

How realistic is it to create a new passenger supersonic aircraft based on the Tu-160 bomber? From a purely engineering point of view - quite, experts say. And in history there are examples when military aircraft successfully "took off shoulder straps" and flew away "to civilian life": for example, the Tu-104 was created on the basis of the Tu-16 long-range bomber, and the Tu-114 - the Tu-95 bomber. In both cases, the fuselage had to be redone - to change the wing layout, to expand the diameter. In fact, these were new aircraft, and quite successful ones. By the way, an interesting detail: when the Tu-114 first flew to New York, there in the dumbfounded airport there was neither a ladder of a suitable height nor a tractor ...

At the very least, similar work will be required for the conversion of the Tu-160. However, how cost effective will this solution be? Everything needs to be carefully evaluated.

How many planes do you need? Who will fly them and where? How commercially available will they be to passengers? How soon will the development costs be recouped? .. Tickets for the same Tu-144 were 1.5 times more expensive than usual, but even such a high cost did not cover the operating costs.

Meanwhile, according to experts, the first Russian supersonic executive aircraft (business jet) can be designed in seven to eight years if there is a reserve for the engine. This plane can accommodate up to 50 people. The total demand in the domestic market is projected at the level of 20-30 cars at a price of $ 100-120 million.

Serial supersonic passenger aircraft of the new generation may appear around 2030

Over projects supersonic business jets there are designers working on both sides of the ocean. Everyone is looking for new layout solutions. Someone offers an atypical tail, someone - a completely unusual wing, someone - a fuselage with a curved central axis ...

TsAGI specialists are developing a project SDS / SPS ("supersonic business aircraft / supersonic passenger aircraft"): according to the idea, it will be able to perform transatlantic flights over a distance of up to 8600 km at a cruising speed of at least 1900 km / h. Moreover, the salon will be transformable - from 80-seater to 20-seater VIP-class.

And last summer, at the air show in Zhukovsky, one of the most interesting was the model of a high-speed civilian aircraft, created by TsAGI scientists within the framework of the international project HEXAFLY-INT. This plane should fly at a speed of more than 7-8 thousand km / h, corresponding to Mach 7 or 8.

But for high-speed civil aircraft to become a reality, a huge range of tasks must be solved. They are associated with materials, a hydrogen propulsion system, its integration with the airframe and obtaining high aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft itself.

And what is already absolutely certain: the design features of the projected winged aircraft will be clearly non-standard.

Competently

Sergey Chernyshev, General Director of TsAGI, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

The sonic boom level (sharp pressure drop in the shock wave) from the Tu-144 was equal to 100-130 pascals. But modern research has shown that it can be increased to 15-20. Moreover, reduce the volume of the sonic boom to 65 decibels, which is equivalent to noise big city... Until now, there are no official standards for the permissible sound boom level in the world. And most likely it will be determined not earlier than 2022.

We have already suggested the appearance of the demonstrator of the supersonic civil aircraft of the future. The sample should show the ability to reduce sonic boom in supersonic cruising and noise in the airport area. Several options are being considered: an airplane for 12-16 passengers, also for 60-80. There is an option of a very small business jet - for 6-8 passengers. These are different weights. In one case, the car will weigh about 50 tons, in the other - 100-120, etc. But we start with the first of the designated supersonic aircraft.

According to various estimates, today there is an unrealized demand in the market for fast flights of business people on airplanes with a passenger capacity of 12-16 people. And, of course, the car must fly at a distance of at least 7-8 thousand kilometers on transatlantic routes. Cruising speed will be Mach 1.8-2, that is, approximately twice the speed of sound. This speed is a technological barrier to the use of conventional aluminum materials in the airframe design. Therefore, the dream of scientists is to make an airplane entirely from temperature composites. And there are good developments.

Clear requirements for the aircraft must be determined by the starting customer, and then at the stages of preliminary design and development work, some change in the original appearance of the aircraft obtained at the stage of preliminary design is possible. But the sound principles of sonic boom reduction will remain unchanged.

The short-term passenger operation of the supersonic Tu-144 was limited to flights from Moscow to Alma-Ata. Photo: Boris Korzin / TASS photo chronicle

I think it is 10-15 years before the flying prototype. In the near future, according to our plans, a flying demonstrator should appear, the appearance of which is being worked out. Its main task is to demonstrate the basic technologies for creating a supersonic aircraft with a low sonic boom level. This necessary stage work. A new generation serial supersonic aircraft may appear on the horizon in 2030.

Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Commission of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor:

To make a supersonic passenger aircraft on the basis of the Tu-160? For our engineers, it is completely real. No problem. Moreover, this car is very good, with remarkable aerodynamic qualities, a good wing, fuselage. However, today any passenger aircraft must first of all meet international airworthiness and technical fitness requirements. The discrepancy, when comparing a bomber and a passenger plane, is more than 50 percent. For example, when some say that it is necessary to "inflate the fuselage" during alteration, one must understand that the Tu-160 itself weighs more than 100 tons. "Inflate" is also adding weight. This means increasing fuel consumption, reducing speed and altitude, making the aircraft absolutely unattractive for any airline in terms of its operating costs.

To create a supersonic aircraft for business aviation, new avionics, new aircraft engines, new materials, new types of fuel are needed. On the Tu-144, kerosene, as they say, flowed like a river. This is not possible today. And most importantly, there should be massive demand for such an aircraft. One or two cars ordered from millionaires will not solve the financial problem. Airlines will have to lease it and "work off" the cost. On whom? Naturally, on passengers. Economically speaking, the project will fail.

Sergey Melnichenko, General Director of the ICAA "Flight Safety":

For almost 35 years that have passed since the start of the serial production of the Tu-160, technologies have gone ahead, and this will have to be taken into account when deeply modernizing the existing aircraft. Aircraft builders say it is much easier and cheaper to build a new aircraft according to a new concept than to rebuild an old one.

Another question: if the Tu-160 is rebuilt specifically for a business jet, will the Arab sheiks be interested in it after all? However, there are several "buts". The plane will need to obtain an international certificate (and the European Union and the United States stand behind it), which is very problematic. In addition, new efficient engines will be needed, which we do not have. Those that are available do not consume fuel, they drink it.

If the plane is converted to carry economy passengers (which is unlikely), then the question is - where to fly and whom to carry? Over the past year, we have just approached the figure of 100 million transported passengers. In the USSR, these figures were much higher. The number of airfields has decreased several times. Not everyone who would like to fly to the European part of the country from Kamchatka and Primorye can afford it. Tickets for the "fuel-drinking plane" will be more expensive than for the "Boeings" and "Airbases".

If the plane is planned to be rebuilt purely for the interests of the heads of large companies, then it will most likely be so. But then this question concerns only them, and not the Russian economy and people. Although in this case it is difficult to imagine that flights will be performed only to Siberia or to Far East... Terrain noise problem. And if the updated plane is not allowed to enter Sardinia, then who needs it?