11 February 2020: Airbus has introduced MAVERIC (Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls) its “blended wing body” scale model technological demonstrator.
It is 2 metres long and 3.2 metres wide, with a surface area of about 2.25m². It features a disruptive aircraft design that has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by up-to 20 per cent compared to current single-aisle aircraft. The “blended wing body” configuration also unlocks new possibilities for propulsion systems type and integration, as well as a versatile cabin for a totally new on-board passenger experience.
MAVERIC was launched in 2017 and first took to the skies in June 2019.Since then the flight-test campaign has been on-going and will continue until the end of Q2 2020.
“Airbus is leveraging emerging technologies to pioneer the future of flight. By testing disruptive aircraft configurations, Airbus is able to evaluate their potential as viable future products,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, EVP Engineering Airbus. “Although there is no specific time line for entry-into-service, this technological demonstrator could be instrumental in bringing about change in commercial aircraft architectures for an environmentally sustainable future for the aviation industry.”