Nasa has started conducting research on a X-plane with a staggering 14 motors.
The X-57 – which Nasa has nicknamed 'Maxwell' – will have 14 electric motors integrated into a "uniquely designed wing". It is the first X-plane designation in a decade.
"With the return of piloted X-planes to Nasa's research capabilities – which is a key part of our 10-year-long New Aviation Horizons initiative – the general aviation-sized X-57 will take the first step in opening a new era of aviation," said Nasa administrator Charles Bolden.
Nasa is planning to create five large X-planes as part of the initiative, with goals including "demonstrating advanced technologies to reduce fuel use, emissions and noise... and accelerate their introduction to the marketplace".
The X-Plane programme was first introduced in the 1940s when Nasa developed the first plane to fly faster than the speed of sound.
"Dozens of X-planes of all shapes, sizes and purposes have since followed – all of them contributing to our stature as the world's leader in aviation and space technology," said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for Nasa's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. "Planes like the X-57, and the others to come, will help us maintain that role."
The Maxwell will have 14 electric motors, 12 on the edge for take offs and landings, and one "larger motor on each wing tip" which will be used while at cruise altitude.
Nasa said that distributing electric power "across a number of motors...will result in a five time reduction in the energy required for a private plane to cruise at 175mph".
Nasa is also developing a "low boom" supersonic jet which it claims could be "greener, safer and quieter" than some existing forms of air travel under the same X-Plane programme.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
