Would you put your money on a plane that's shaped like a tuna, powered by a single engine, and carries just 100 gallons of fuel? It's probably too early to tell if a commercial version of this future-focused aircraft will ever actually take flight, but there's no denying that that it's an ambitious project. And it looks pretty cool, too.
The plane is being developed by SmartFish, a collaboration between six firms from Europe, the US, and China, along with a crew of scientists and a team from Stuttgart's DLR Institute for Technical Thermodynamics. As concerns about fuel prices and aviation's role in pollution take center stage, projects like these are suddenly gaining renewed attention.
*How does it work?
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The SmartFish project utilizes a "lifting body" design, which means that the entire aircraft works to provide lift, rather than just the wings. The plane's slender shape and composite material construction mean less drag, and thus less thrust required for flight. The wing and fuselage form one integrated, cool looking unit, and the unique, tuna-esqe shape also means that the plane can fly without slats, flaps, or spoilers. Taken together, these attributes significantly increase fuel efficiency.
Six years in the making, a six pound, four foot long version of the plane completed a successful test flight last year, and now plans are moving forward to build a proof-of-concept two seater. This larger prototype would be 20 feet long and six feet high, with wingspan of 15 feet. The SmartFish team hopes that when completed it will be able to fly at over 550 miles using a single turbofan engine with 900- to 1,000-pounds of thrust. Fuel would be stored in wing tanks with a total capacity of just under 100 gallons.
But to make the prototype a reality, the SmartFish Project needs some cash, and they're not being shy about asking for it. From their website: "Get your rich uncle to call us...he won't be disappointed."
Photo: SmartFish
