Design of the blended wing body subsonic transport

The Boeing Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) airplane concept represents a potential breakthrough in subsonic transport efficiency. Work began on this concept via a study to demonstrate feasibility and begin development of this new class of airplane. In this initial study, 800-passenger BWB and conventional configuration airplanes were sized and compared for a 7000-n mile design range. Both airplanes were based on engine and structural (composite) technology for a 2010 entry into service. Results showed remarkable performance improvements of the BWB over the conventional baseline, including a 15% reduction in takeoff weight and a 27% reduction in fuel burn per seat mile. Subsequent in-house studies at Boeing have yielded the development of a family of BWB transports ranging from 200 to 600 passengers with a high level of parts commonality and manufacturing efficiency. Studies have also demonstrated that the BWB is readily adaptable to cruise Mach numbers as high as 0.95. The performance improvement of the latest Boeing BWBs over conventional subsonic transports based on equivalent technology has increased beyond the predictions of the early NASA-sponsored studies.