Bombardier's
EcoJet Program Takes Bigger Step
by Curt Epstein
- May 22, 2023, 9:02 AM
Bombardier's EcoJet research program looks to develop a new airframe design that could result in carbon emissions savings of up to 50 percent. (Image: Bombardier Aircraft)
One year after Bombardier unveiled its small-scale
EcoJet blended-wing research demonstrator, the Canadian
airframer revealed the existence of its bigger brother on Monday at EBACE
2023. Bombardier (Booth K40, Static AD-09) added that the aircraft achieved
first flight late last year.
At twice the size of the previous scale model, this new aircraft—with
its 18-foot wingspan—represents the conclusion of the first phase of the test
program and the start of the second. The company believes this second phase
will eventually deliver a lower-carbon emissions aircraft design in pursuit of
the industry’s goal to be net-zero emissions by 2050.
“The technology that we have on the EcoJet program is how we at
Bombardier are going to get there,” said Stephen McCullough, the Montreal-based
company’s senior v-p of engineering and product development. “As we get closer
and closer to what the full scale will be, the results have better resolution.”
The project aims to reduce aircraft emissions by up to 50 percent
through aerodynamic and propulsion improvements. Among them, the aircraft’s
design includes what Bombardier describes as its sixth-generation transonic
wing. EcoJet further demonstrates a new aircraft control
architecture. “The EcoJet research project has garnered a high level of
interest across the industry, and we are looking forward to mobilizing partners
as we continue to define the future of business aviation,” said McCullough.
As to whether the next step in the program would be a full-scale
aircraft, McCullough noted that as the aircraft design scales up, it will allow
for the installation of more representative equipment than smaller versions.
But he added a determination has not yet been made. “It’s a technology
demonstration platform, and really we will get through the phase of the
larger-scale model that we have today, and then we will decide what is the
next-step size—if there is a next-step size—to mature the technology,” he
told AIN.
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