![]()
?The Airbus eXtra Performance Wing DemonstratorAirbus is looking to the next generation of wings with its eXtra performance wing demonstrator, to be tested on a Cessna Citation VII business jet platform in 2024 to prepare for flight in 2025.
The European company has been promoting a series on wings, looking into how they function and how they can be improved. On Dec. 22, 2023 Airbus shared that the company is progressing with the UpNext eXtra performance wing demonstrator, delving into the various wing enhancements and installations across different aircraft and how they improve or change flight operations. The next phase of the UpNext performance project, following the first flight of the demonstrator in November 2023, includes the installation of eXtra Performance Wings to a Citation to undergo ground testing. The Cessna will act solely as a demonstrator and not be put into production, meaning a pilot will test the plane from a ground center instead of on board to alleviate the need to certify the demonstrator for human flight.RELATED STORY:Flying cars and electric jets- what will the future of aviation look like?
The project was launched in September 2021 and is part of Airbus' Wing Research portfolio. Through the project, Airbus will test technologies that may be integrated into next-gen aircraft, a complement to the Wings of Tomorrow program. The eXtra Performance Wing technology will apply to any kind of aircraft and propulsion system but Airbus has chosen the Citation VII for ground testing. The eXtra Performance Wing has a targeted wingspan of 50 meters or just over 164 feet. For reference, the Airbus A320 wingspan is only 35 meters or 117 feet. The Cessna's wingspan is 16 meters or 52 feet, representing a roughly one-third scale model of the final design.
"Things are evidently simpler at a smaller scale," eXtra Performance Wing Technical Director Sebastien Blanc said. "But we chose the Cessna specifically because it constituted the best trade-off between project complexity and representativeness of the final design."
Next-gen aircraft are flying with longer, thinner wings which reduce drag, fuel burn and emissions. Glider wings carrying a commercial aircraft may look different compared to the airliners on the runways of today, but as the industry looks to decarbonize aviation, technologies to reduce fuel burn and emissions are crucial. Airbus has tested from the ground up, focusing on wind tunnels and laboratories to start. The company said the optimal wingspan of future aircraft is longer than the wingspan of modern planes, requiring folding wingtips to accommodate current infrastructure.
Airbus is testing the different technologies of tomorrow to "fast-track future technologies." The goal of the eXtra Performance Wing project is to provide different wing configurations that will adapt to flight conditions. The eXtra Performance Wing design utilizes innovative active control technologies and physical changes to the wing structure, like gust sensors on the front of the aircraft to register changes in turbulence and trigger any relevant adjustments to control surfaces on the wing.
"This system is designed to be entirely automatic," Blanc said. "The eXtra Performance Wing technologies, which change the shape of the wing by mimicking a bird's feathers, will adjust automatically to maximize aerodynamic flow."
The project has reportedly already paid off, said Blanc, with extensive knowledge gained from the initial phases ahead of ground testing on the Citation.
"We are already seeing the fruits of our labor, and we have learned so much along the way," Blanc said. "We have a real opportunity here to make a contribution to reducing fuel burn. Just having the potential to change the aerospace industry like this is huge."
The first flight in November marked a significant milestone in the project's progress. The demonstrator was fitted with the exact systems that will be used when the eXtra Performance Wings are installed for flight testing beginning in 2025. Airbus said the data gained from the demonstrator flight testing will determine the impact of the new wing design, like the reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. The 2025 project will use a light business jet to test some of the more ambitious wing ideas. The demonstrator will allow Airbus to "push the flight envelope further than manned operations allow," and will help with the industry goal of having net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Airbus has multiple futuristic aircraft projects ongoing, like the ZEROe focusing on the world's first hydrogen-fueled commercial aircraft, CitAirbus NextGen with an eVTOL multicopter prototype, EcoPulse with a distributed hybrid-propulsion aircraft demonstrator, and Zephyr with a high-altitude pseudo-satellite powered by solar power. The company is also exploring wing design choices and sustainability and the ability glider wings have to reduce drag, fuel burn and emissions. Another unique project is the Airbus Perlan Mission II, which is setting world altitude records for manned, level flight with an engineless aircraft and makes use of glider wings.RELATED STORY:Airbus Perlan Mission II soars to new heights, completes flight test campaign
The future is imminent and Airbus is testing ways to prepare for the technology of tomorrow, today. The Wings of Tomorrow program is already studying over 100 technologies and results are revealing how these adaptions can decarbonize aviation.
Ground testing on the Citation jet is expected to begin this year, reportedly in the coming months. Flight testing is planned to begin in 2025.
"We want the flight testing to expose the eXtra Performance Wing to as many realistic flying situations as possible," Blanc said. "This will give the different technologies the best possible chance of proving themselves, and of one day being integrated into the wings of tomorrow."