The China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center announced the design of a passenger aircraft (flying wing) resembling the American B-2 Spirit strategic bomber, capable of carrying more than 800 passengers.
The South China Morning Post notes that the aircraft is intended exclusively for civilian aviation. Unlike conventional civilian aircraft, this plane lacks the traditional division into fuselage, wings, and tail. Its main body is integrated into a single, wide, liftable fuselage. This design contributes to increased usable interior space and improved aerodynamic efficiency.
This aircraft is significantly larger than current civilian aircraft. Its design measures 43 meters in length and 85 meters in width, with a wingspan approximately 1.6 times that of the B-2 Spirit. Its advertised capacity exceeds 800 passengers, roughly 250 more than the Airbus A380, the largest production passenger aircraft, which typically seats around 555 passengers.
According to the designers, this project is not intended as a production-ready aircraft. Rather, it is a research platform for studying the aerodynamics of "flying wings" aircraft. The design is used as a reference model for wind tunnel testing, validating calculation methods, and calibrating testing equipment.
The published specifications for this aircraft include a wing area of approximately 1395 square meters, a leading and trailing edge angle of 28 degrees and 37 degrees respectively, and a flight speed of Mach 0.8.
Currently, there is no full-size prototype. Therefore, testing is being conducted on a 1:52 scale stainless steel model. Measuring approximately 0.8 meters in length and with a wingspan of 1.6 meters, it has undergone a series of tests in a 2.4-meter-long supersonic wind tunnel at speeds ranging from Mach 0.4 to Mach 0.8. The maximum lift-to-drag ratio was approximately 20 at speeds below Mach 0.7, dropping to 17.6 at Mach 0.8.
This trend is part of China's broader program to develop its civil aircraft industry. Currently, work is underway on the C929, a long-range, wide-body aircraft scheduled to make its maiden flight in 2030, and the C949, a supersonic passenger aircraft.
