China adds an 800-passenger jet with ‘flying wing’ body to its big aircraft plan

China's research team has presented an aerodynamic blueprint for a super-sized flying-wing passenger aircraft capable of accommodating over 800 travelers, signaling a significant expansion in the nation's large aircraft initiative. This design diverges from traditional aircraft, which typically consist of separate fuselage, wings, and tail components; instead, the proposed flying wing integrates most of its structure into a single, elongated lifting body.

The proposed aircraft boasts a wingspan approximately 1.6 times larger than that of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and measures 85 meters in width and 43 meters in length. In contrast, the current largest commercial jet, the Airbus A380, typically carries around 555 passengers. The concept originates from the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre (CARDC), a state-run institute that has played a pivotal role in various significant aircraft projects, including the C919 narrowbody airliner and the Y-20 transport plane.

Concurrently, China is advancing the C929, a 280-seat long-range widebody jet targeting a 2030 maiden flight, and the C949 supersonic airliner, which draws inspiration from NASA's X-59 supersonic technology. The flying-wing passenger plane, currently unnamed, represents a groundbreaking endeavor that delves into even more unconventional configurations.

This innovative design was detailed in a June publication in the Chinese-language Journal of Aerospace Power, where it serves as a standard model for assessing wind tunnel tests, computational methodologies, and testing equipment tailored for extended, slender flying-wing structures. According to aerodynamics scientist Li Yonghong and his team, the high-aspect-ratio flying wing boasts superior aerodynamic benefits, including a superior lift-to-drag ratio and minimal induced drag, which could lead to extended range and reduced energy usage.

Although initially conceived for a 250-seat aircraft comparable to long-range widebody jets like the Airbus A330 and Boeing 767, the design has been scaled up to accommodate an 800-passenger capacity as part of China's broader strategy for constructing large twin-aisle widebody airliners, initiated during the 13th Five-Year Plan from 2016 to 2020.

The finalized design incorporates a reference wing area of roughly 1,395 square meters, a leading-edge sweep of 37 degrees, and a trailing-edge sweep of 28 degrees, with a cruising speed of Mach 0.8. Despite the absence of a full-scale aircraft, the team is progressing with prototype testing using a 1:52 stainless steel scale model, measuring about 0.8 meters in length and 1.6 meters in wingspan.

This model has been subjected to tests in CARDC's 2.4-meter transonic wind tunnel, simulating speeds ranging from Mach 0.4 to 0.8, evaluating aerodynamic attributes, boundary-layer transition, measurement accuracy, lateral and longitudinal stability, and structural deformation. The team's findings confirm the model's exceptional aerodynamic performance, positioning it as a benchmark for similar configurations.

During testing, the model achieved a maximum lift-to-drag ratio of approximately 20 at speeds below Mach 0.7, decreasing to 17.6 at Mach 0.8. The researchers further noted that the model "could support studies of flow mechanisms and aeroelasticity, as well as the development of new wind tunnel testing techniques."