hmm
indeed the X48B prototype plane of boeing seems to be quite interesting.
because of two main factors: 1.the blended body design with no tail wings.
2. the placing of the 3 turbojet engines.
now first, the blended design with no tail wings.
blended design: the body of plane merges with the wings unlike the conventional planes having tubular fuselage[body].
this design in addition with no tail , reduces the drag of the plane drastically and inturn increases the efficiency of the plane.
but the boeing brains have said that [in the link posted by ash] this design is suitable for a military or a cargo plane but unsuitable for commercial airliners. the reason for this being that - in conventional airplane , the centre of gravity doesnot shift too much if the plane is half-filled or fully filled[ie.doesnt shift too much if people are seated in some nook&corner of the plane].
but in case of this blended design , due to the merging of fuselage with wings, the domain of centre of gravity is very wide [ie.it can relatively shift more when compared to tubular fuselage] . so,if this design is used for commercial airliners , the plane can't work at its best unless it is completely filled . or if scarcly filled , the pilot will have to control the plane very hard during maneuvers in the air.
And secondly, the placing of the 3 turbojet engines.
this strategic placing of engines has resulted as a partial solution to a very big problem. ie. the noise of the plane.
due to the placing of the engines at the high on the back of the plane , drastically reduces a great deal of noise inside the plane .
and above all , the X48B is an unmanned aircraft. ie.piloted from someone in the ground station.
wow!!! now imagine how cool it can be if you maneuver a bomber aircraft in reality by controlling it with your video game joy stick at your home!!!
