A lifting body is a fixed-wing aircraft or spacecraft configuration in which the body itself produces lift. In contrast to a flying wing, which is a wing with minimal or no conventional fuselage, a lifting body can be thought of as a fuselage with little or no conventional wing.

A blended wing body (BWB), also known as blended body, hybrid wing body (HWB) or a lifting aerofoil fuselage, [1] is a fixed-wing aircraft having no clear dividing line between the wings and the main body of the craft. [2]

Feb 28, 2014 · These lifting bodies were designed to validate the concept of flying a wingless vehicle back to Earth from space and landing it like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. These unique research vehicles, with their unconventional aerodynamic shapes, were the M2-F1, M2-F2, M2-F3, HL-10, X-24A, and the X-24B.

A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage, with its crew, payload, fuel, and equipment housed inside the main wing structure. A flying wing may have various small protuberances such as pods, nacelles, blisters, booms, or vertical stabilizers.

Jan 5, 2025 · The NASA-Boeing program concluded the test flying of the remotely piloted X-48B and X-48C Hybrid/Blended Wing Body research aircraft after what has been defined as a highly successful and...

The U.S. Air Force has selected innovative aerospace startup JetZero and Northrop Grumman to design, build and fly a full-scale blended wing body aircraft (BWB), which aims to demonstrate enhanced capabilities for improved efficiency, endurance and cargo capacity on multi-mission military and commercial platforms.

Mar 29, 2024 · California-based startup JetZero has been granted airworthiness certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its Pathfinder blended wing body demonstrator. The 1:8 scale aircraft is now cleared to begin test flights.

Mar 10, 2025 · It's the same powerplant that powers the Boeing 757 aircraft (including the military C-32A version), and from which the F117 deployed in the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft is derived.

Mar 10, 2025 · One of the first attempts at such a design was the Northrop Flying Wing, a military aircraft that inspired later developments like the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. ... The future of aviation is set to be reshaped by the introduction of blended wing body aircraft, a radical departure from conventional tube-and-wing designs. While the potential ...

Nov 22, 2024 · Designed in 1962 and first flown in 1963, NASA's M2-F1 "lifting body" aircraft stands out not only due to its unconventional design but also for its significant contributions to aerospace technology. Dubbed the "flying bathtub," this peculiar plane paved the way for future NASA spacecraft.