Airbus to test New Laminar Wing on the A340
According to a report from Flightglobal, Airbus will soon start flight testing an A340 that has been fitted with experimental laminar-flow wing sections. The effort is part of a larger EU-funded technology project, dubbed the Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe (BLADE), to assess the industrial feasibility of natural laminar-flow wings on future aircraft. The BLADE project represents the largest part of Airbus’s estimated €330 million ($392 million) contribution to the EU’s current Clean Sky II initiative – a multi-year program that includes other projects to advance technology for more efficient aircraft engines, helicopters and onboard systems.
