Boeing’s stealth cargo plane concept

Plus: A UK-startup unveils VTOL aircraft with an 800-mile range. Jan 31, 2023 [Blueprint]( [Boeing is back with a new design]( that they don’t really want you to notice. Because the company has just unveiled its tactical, stealth-capable cargo plane with a blended wing body, or BWB. BWB features a blended wing and fuselage rather than a traditional cylindrical fuselage with separate wings. The wings wrap around the plane's body, making it more aerodynamic. But before you marvel at the stealthiness of that, marvel at a vengeful act that really sparkled. [This video]( shows a former NASA engineer getting back at thieves with glitter bombs. It’s a bright, shiny idea. Good morning. I’m Alice, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s get started. [How Oracle's test smart city may pioneer bold ideas for construction](. [premium] How do drones, the internet of things (IoT), robotics, and reality capture (to name just a few) make construction sites safer, more predictable, sustainable, and effective? [Play]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Former NASA engineer gets back at thieves with glitter bombs.]( [Former NASA engineer gets back at thieves with glitter bombs.]( Revenge is a dish best served sparkly. [Must Read]MUST READ [Boeing unveils stealth cargo plane concept for high-end conflicts.]( [Boeing unveils stealth cargo plane concept for high-end conflicts.]( [Boeing has unveiled its tactical, stealth-capable cargo plane]( with a blended wing body, or BWB. BWB features a blended wing and fuselage rather than a traditional cylindrical fuselage with separate wings. The wings wrap around the plane's body, making it more aerodynamic. The newly announced airlifter idea is a "significant departure" from the company's previous BWB projects. This has two completely internal jet engines and stealthy design features, like a fuselage with at least some chined edges and a snout that looks more like a beak. Earlier Boeing BWB ideas, like the X-48 series, had fuselages and noses that were wider and more rounded, and the engines were in pods on top of the center of the rear fuselage. This new BWB airlifter design uses partly serpentine ducting in its engine inlets. This helps to hide the turbine fan blades, which, if exposed, are very radar-reflective. When used in conjunction with fan-face baffles, they can reduce the radar cross-section from the (most important) straight-on angle. → Notable examples of BWB-designed aircraft include the B-2 and B-21 “stealth” bombers, NASA's X-48B research aircraft, Boeing's X-48C research aircraft, and Northrop Grumman's X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV). [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Linkedin]( [TRANSPORTATION]TRANSPORTATION [A UK-startup unveils VTOL aircraft with an 800-mile range.]( ARC Aerosystems, a UK-based aviation startup, has unveiled its [new VTOL passenger aircraft](. The nine-seater model, Linx P9, is pitched as a “cost-effective, low-carbon solution to intercity travel.” The aircraft, which offers vertical take-off and landing capabilities, is touted to have the “flexibility of a helicopter, with the performance of a fixed-wing utility aircraft.” With it, the company plans to address the challenging needs of regional air mobility. It’s comparatively lightweight and slim at just 4,255 lb (1,930 kg) — the main wing measures 41.3 ft (12.6 m). [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [INNOVATION]INNOVATION [MIT's latest drone propellers are very quiet and efficient.]( MIT has produced some [new devices for aircraft and drones]( that not only make impressive efficiency gains but are also radically quieter. The toroidal propeller allows a small multirotor unpiloted aircraft, or drone, to operate more quietly than current drones that use propeller forms unchanged since the beginning of aviation. It consists of two blades that loop together so that the tip of one blade curves back into the other. This closed-form structure reduces and controls the drag effects of swirling air tunnels (i.e., vortices) created at the blades' tips and strengthens the propeller's overall stiffness. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [SCIENCE]SCIENCE [Iceberg the size of Greater London breaks away from Antarctic ice shelf.]( A giant iceberg the size of Greater London has [calved from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica](. The event took place during a spring tide on January 22, between 19.00 and 20.00 UTC. Unlike iceberg D28 though, it didn’t catch scientists by surprise. The Brunt Ice Shelf is one of the most closely monitored ice shelves on the planet. As many as 16 instruments keep an eye on the deformation of ice on this shelf and report back on an hourly basis. Among the satellites keeping a tab on the shelf is the Sentinel 2 from the European Space Agency, Worldview satellite from NASA, Landsat 8 from the US, and TerraSAR-X from Germany. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [MAIL & MUSINGS]MAIL & MUSINGS Boeing unveils stealth cargo plane concept for high-end conflicts. How soon do you think we’ll see this technology in combat? [Probably this year]( [In the next five to 10 years]( [Further than 10 years away]( [I am unsure either way]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday, we asked you what you think will stop age-reversing technology from becoming commercially available, and 59 percent of you said the cost. 59% The cost 21% The effectiveness 13% Something else entirely 7% The ethics of it [QUOTE OF THE DAY]QUOTE OF THE DAY “Airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value.” Ferdinand Foch, French general and military theorist. [THINGS WE LOVE]THINGS WE LOVE [image]( [Walnut Wireless Charger]( [image]( [Liddle Speaker]( [image]( [Folding Travel Guitar]( [image]( [Astromaster 70 AZ Telescope]( [AND ANOTHER THING]AND ANOTHER THING - Scientists have a [radical idea to power Mars colonies]( — wind turbines. [premium] - [Muon scanning hints at mysteries]( within an ancient Chinese wall. (Science News) - [Tree roots caused mass extinctions]( of the past, like humans today? ( $premium) - [Only eating between 7am and 3pm]( helps people with obesity lose weight. (New Scientist) - Hubble is still going strong, [captures stunning new fiery nebula]( image. - [Gas stoves can spew lots of pollution]( even when they’re turned off. (SN Explores) - Scientists solved a mystery to make [next-gen lithium batteries](. Prepared by Alice Cooke Enjoy Reading? Forward this email to a friend. Was this email forwarded to you? 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