Airbus Unveils Blended Wing Demonstrator

Airbus officially introduced its Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls (MAVERIC) blended wing body technological demonstrator on Tuesday at the 2020 Singapore Airshow. Airbus believes the design could “reduce fuel consumption by up to 20 percent compared to current single-aisle aircraft.” The remote-controlled scale model demonstrator measures 2 meters (about 6.56 feet) long and 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) wide.

“By testing disruptive aircraft configurations, Airbus is able to evaluate their potential as viable future products,” said Engineering Airbus Executive Vice President Jean-Brice Dumont. “Although there is no specific time line for entry-into-service, this technological demonstrator could be instrumental in bringing about change in commercial aircraft architectures for an environmentally sustainable future for the aviation industry.”

MAVERIC has been undergoing flight testing since June 2019. Airbus says it intends to continue the test campaign until the end of the second quarter of 2020. The MAVERIC project was launched in 2017 as part of the company’s Airbus UpNext research and development unit, which is also working on projects including the E-Fan X hybrid-electric demonstrator and Autonomous Taxi Take-Off & Landing (ATTOL) system.