Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by kristianp 450 days ago
I seem to recall very thin wings being touted as lower drag, but are unable to store fuel. Are the trusses there to support thinner wings?

Edit: the answer seems to be yes, they are thinner wings, called the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW). However why is it transonic? higher speed would negate the fuel savings. Also this looks to be experimental and not for the next generation.

https://investors.boeing.com/investors/news/press-release-de...

1 comments

Standard airplanes used for passenger travel have transonic airflow. Some air is forced to be supersonic as it passes over the wing and around the body of the plane.

The Transonic Truss-Braced Wing is still experimental but prototypes have been built and they are seriously considered for the next generation. If I recall correctly where to store the fuel is a bit concern.