Research lab tests fuel-efficient, flying-wing aircraft

Engineers have installed a small-scale blended wing body prototype at the full scale wind tunnel at NASA's research center at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The Air Force Research Laboratory partnered with Boeing Phantom Works and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to study the structural, aerodynamic and operational advantages of the advanced aircraft concept, dubbed the X-48B. (Boeing photo/Bob Ferguson)

Research lab tests fuel-efficient, flying-wing aircraft

Researchers are testing a 21-foot wingspan prototype of the X-48B, a blended wing body aircraft, at the full scale wind tunnel at NASA's research center at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The Air Force Research Laboratory partnered with Boeing Phantom Works and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to study the structural, aerodynamic and operational advantages of the advanced aircraft concept. (NASA photo/Jeff Caplan)