The Natilus blended-wing airliner is poised to challenge Boeing and Airbus
The aerospace startup Natilus (California) has challenged its powerful competitors, Airbus and Boeing, by proposing the concept of the Horizon blended-wing passenger airliner. It would be an exaggeration to call it revolutionary, as it has existed since the 1920s and was partially embodied in the 1970s in the US Air Force's B-1 Lancer strategic bomber.
The main advantage of a blended-wing aircraft is the absence of a junction between the wing and the fuselage, which significantly reduces drag and adds lift to the wings due to the entire body. The blended design also makes it possible to increase the internal space for accommodating cargo, fuel, and passengers.
The Horizon airliner will be able to carry up to 200 passengers while consuming almost a third less fuel and reducing harmful emissions by half. Being 40% larger in internal volume, it will nevertheless correspond to the class of narrow-body Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s.
According to experts, given the serious problems that Boeing is experiencing today, Natilus has a good chance of winning a niche in the market for the production of civil aircraft
ORIENT
