It may look like a stealth fighter jet, but Boeing is hoping its new X-48B aircraft will become the commercial airliner of the future. The blended-wing plane—a name given to planes that merge the fuselage and wings into one—eliminates the tail part of a plane (which is usually the part of the plane responsible for lag drag). In doing so, the X-48B uses up to 30% less gas than a typical airliner. Boeing hopes to have a military version of the plane ready by 2022, and a passenger model by 2030.
Radical New Boeing Aircraft Takes Flight [Business 2.0 via FayerWayer]
