Boeing begins X-66 modification for NASA's Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project
PALMDALE, Calif., - The Boeing Company announced that it has begun extensive modification of an airplane that will become the X-66 Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD), removing engines and completing 3D metrology scans to inform the plane’s design and build plan in Palmdale, California.
This summer, Boeing took delivery of an MD-90 single-aisle airliner to transform the aircraft into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) newest "X-plane" as part of the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project.
Boeing announced it had modified the airplane by removing engines and completing 3D metrology scans to inform the plane’s design and build plan.
The MD-90 jet’s original wings will soon be removed to test the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) design with new ultrathin wings braced by struts with larger spans and higher aspect ratios. TTBW’s wider wing span and aerodynamic efficiency could significantly accelerate opportunities to reduce fuel use and emissions.
With the scanning data, Boeing will use 3D modeling software to overlay the existing MD-90 structure with the new X-66 components, enabling more accurate spatial integration and the opportunity to identify and mitigate risks early in the modification process.
Due to their heavy usage, single-aisle aircraft account for nearly half of worldwide aviation emissions today. Creating designs and technologies for a more sustainable version of this type of aircraft has the potential to have profound impact on emissions.
NASA’s history with the X-plane designation dates to the 1940s, when its predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) jointly created an experimental aircraft program with the Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The X-66A is the latest in a long line of NASA X-planes. Additionally, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, has provided technical expertise and support for several additional X-planes.
The X-66 is NASA's first experimental plane project focused on helping the U.S. achieve its net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions goal. Ground and flight testing is expected to begin in 2028.
