Artist’s concept of aircraft that could enter service in 2025 from the team led by Boeing. (NASA/Boeing)
NASA recently awarded airplane manufacturers multi-million dollar grants to study the airplane of the future. Leaving the argument about whether this is the proper use of taxpayer money to fund development for major U.S. corporations aside, the results are interesting.
This NASA program that seems to have more money that it knows what to do with, is designed to create a more fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly airplane.
Today’s current generation of aircraft has benefited from NASA investments in aeronautical research that have improved fuel efficiencies, lowered noise levels and lessened harmful emissions. Although substantial progress has been made, much more needs to be done.
The nation’s air transportation system will expand by a factor of two or three within the next two decades, potentially increasing aviation’s contribution to climate change. The ERA Project works to reduce the environmental harm that could result from such an expansion.
The project’s primary goal is to select vehicle concepts and technologies that can simultaneously reduce fuel burn, noise and emissions; it contains three subprojects: Airframe Technology, Propulsion Technology and Vehicle Systems Integration.
Boeing, Northrup-Grumman and Lockheed-Martin have all received similar multi-million dollar grants and are all proceeding with the design project. Here are the prototypes that have been designed. The lead photo of the Boeing design goes with a delta wing design, the Lockheed-Martin design seems to be a throwback to the DC-10 and the Northrup-Grumman plane appear to be airborne catamaran fused by a cockpit and engines.
Artist’s concept of an aircraft that could enter service in 2025 from the team led by Lockheed Martin. (NASA/Lockheed Martin)
Artist’s concept of an aircraft that could enter service in 2025 from the team led by Northrop Grumman. (NASA/Northrop Grumman)
This work of NASA, together with its space exploration work, is touted in a video produced by the agency with some of their ideas of what will be coming in 2025. You can watch the video by clicking here.
All of this is fascinating. But, is it the work of the government to spend almost $320 million on work that the engine and plane manufacturers should be doing and are doing along a parallel track. Perhaps, as fascinating as these looks into the future might be, airline transportation might be best left to the companies that have developed airliners over the past decades.
I can think of plenty of others areas of the air transportation infrastructure that could use some of this funding and administration attention that might have more immediate impact on our current air traffic and safety problems.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
