2. An Iconic Idea
The Icon-II is a design for
supersonic flight over
land that comes from
Boeing. Apart from
fulfilling the
specifications, it also
reduces fuel consumption
and airport noise.
3. Green Supersonic Machine
This concept design by Lockheed
Martin is one that the company
presented to NASA in April of last
year and is designed for overland
supersonic flight. It showed that by
using the inverted V engine under
the wing configuration, one can really
lower the level of supersonic booms.
4. Blended Wing
These blended wing
concept aircraft are
from Boeing and one
of the three that was
shown to NASA
when the contract
awards were granted
in the fall.
5. X-45A UCAV
The UCAV air vehicle
was unveiled at a
special exhibition in
Missouri, along with two
other elements of the
UCAV system, a
mission control and air
vehicle storage system.
6. Solar Eagle
The Solar Eagle is Boeing’s
entry into the Vulture program by
the defense program to create
an ultra-long endurance aircraft.
7. The Subsonic Ultra Green
Aircraft Research, or SUGAR
SUGAR is a Boeing concept aircraft
presented in April 2010 that stands
for Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft
Research. It combines gas and
battery technology.
8. Lockheed Martin, Fall
Lockheed Martin’s concept plane this fall
doesn’t look so different on the outside
except for the wing structure being all one,
but it is revolutionary inside, as are all the
others.
9. Bigger is
Better
This aircraft was
presented in April
by MIT. Known as
the Hybrid Wing
Body H series, it is
designed to fly at
Mach 0.83,
carrying 354
passengers over
7,600 nautical
miles.
11. The Puffin
This amazing
design is the Puffin
Personal Aircraft. It
is designed to go
about 150 miles an
hour for about 50
miles. Needless to
say, it has been
one of NASA’s
most viral images.
