X-48C: Big toy or real plane?

Boeing and NASA’s remotely piloted X-48C aircraft successfully flew for the first time on Aug. 7, 2012, from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.

The new X-48C model was transformed, or "modified" in engineering lingo, from the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft, which flew 92 flights at NASA Dryden between 2007 and 2010. The X-48C will be used to evaluate the low-speed stability and control of a low-noise version of a notional, future Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft design. The HWB design stems from concept studies being conducted by NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation project of future potential aircraft designs 20 years from now.

Primary changes to the C-model from the B-model were geared to transform it to an airframe that does a better job shielding engine noise from the ground – a potential improvement for communities around airports. External modifications included relocating the wingtip winglets inboard next to the engines, effectively turning them into twin tails. The aft deck of the aircraft was also extended about two feet to the rear. Finally, the project team replaced the X-48B’s three 50-pound-thrust jet engines with two 89-pound-thrust engines.

The X-48C retains most of the physical dimensions of the B-model, with a wingspan just longer than 20 feet and a weight of about 500 pounds. The aircraft has an estimated top speed of about 140 mph, and a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet.