Dubbed the ‘Bird of Prey’, the design seeks to highlight the UK’s high value design credentials, say Airbus.
The concept design is for a hybrid-electric, turbo-propeller aircraft, according to Airbus.
The aircraft won’t be built however, the aim of the project is to motivate the next generation of aeronautical engineers, according to Martin Aston, a senior manager at Airbus.
“Inspired by efficient mechanics of a bird, it has wing and tail structures that mimic those of a bird of prey, while featuring individually controlled feathers that provide active flight control,” reads a statement from the firm.
“Our ‘Bird of Prey’ is designed to be an inspiration to young people and create a ‘wow’ factor that will help them consider an exciting career in the crucially-important aerospace sector,” Aston said in the statement. We know from our work on the A350 XWB passenger jet that through biomimicry, nature has some of the best lessons we can learn about design. Who can’t help but be inspired by such a creation?”, said Aston in a release.
It is speculated that the aircraft would be capable of carrying up to 80 passengers and would burn 30%-50% less fuel than comparable aircraft in operation today. It would however also burn your eyes, if you looked directly at it.
“…the design seeks to highlight the UK’s high value design credentials, say Airbus”.
What’s this? Praise for the UK aerospace industry from Airbus, when they (Airbus) have threatened to leave UK if we depart the EU without a deal? Do they know something we don’t? But hey – give praise where it’s due.
It comes to something when we need a foreign company to highlight our own design credentials.
Airbus is not exactly a foreign company. It has a 13,500 Brit workforce, which is more than all the US defence primes in UK put together. All the wings for Airbus are designed and majority built in UK.
They want to keep the UK operations. However they are also a company so need to make profit. The UK engineers would likely move with the operation if it left the UK so airbus would not lose out massively.
interesting concept,the russians still use turboprop aircraft, its not necessarily any kind of backward step such a platform could carry a substantial payload and could offer the versatility often needed.
30% to 50% less fuel than comparable aircraft, shame it’s not being built then….but it’s a Hybrid so would!
It will never be built…..by my reckoning that would be a fuel saving of 100%!
Yeah I know it’ll not be built, when I said “ it’s a hybrid so would” I meant fuel savings m8.
But it wouldn’t. The aquiring of resources, refining, manufacturing, shipping, repeated charging, and eventual disposal far outweigh any energy savings on a per unit any hyrbrid or all-EV design offers. Add to that the obsession greenies have with eliminating all fossil and nuclear fuel power stations around the world, and you’re left with so-called renewable energy sources, all of which are notorious for being unreliable and grossly underproducing. No green, renewable energy source can keep up with the demand of a comic book fantasy future where billions of people in millions of homes and apartments in hundreds of thousands of towns and cities using billions of machines including private and mass transportation and manufacturing, defense, etc.
Very similar to the Bloodhound project. Designed to break the land speed record… But actually a project to go around UK schools to get kids excited about engineering projects from an early age.
I’m all for it if it inspires the next generation. And if we get some concepts to reality… even better
M@
The bloodhound SSC is a great project for the UK and it’s inspired countless numbers of kids. I’m so glad it was saved and has new backers now and they say 800mph before 2019 ends and 1000mph in 2020, lets hope all goes well and we finally achieve another land speed record for the UK. ??
Hi Cam,
Yes a great British success story in the making. Eager to see it breaking some records! I was so happy when it was saved.
M@
(Is it April 1st?… No) Flight is very unenviromentally friendly, so a move in the right direction. Looking at the pic I’d half expect it to flap!
Indeed. Biomimicry? Where are the batteries? Birds mostly glide. Inbetween they sh!t on your cap. Airbus are taking the Mickey …. that why its got the union flag on the tail.
Well, there won’t be many flocks of birds hanging around when this baby turns up!
Cute!
does it eat mice?