Blended wing body

A rendering of the US Air Force blended wing body aircraft project

A blended wing body (BWB), also known as blended body, hybrid wing body (HWB) or a lifting aerofoil fuselage,[1] is a fixed-wing aircraft having no clear dividing line between the wings and the main body of the craft.[2] The aircraft has distinct wing and body structures, which are smoothly blended together with no clear dividing line.[3] This contrasts with a flying wing, which has no distinct fuselage, and a lifting body, which has no distinct wings. A BWB design may or may not be tailless.

The main advantage of the BWB is to reduce wetted area and the accompanying form drag associated with a conventional wing-body junction. It may also be given a wide airfoil-shaped body, allowing the entire craft to generate lift and thus reducing the size and drag of the wings.

The BWB configuration is used for both aircraft and underwater gliders.

  1. ^ Wragg, David W. (1973). A Dictionary of Aviation (first ed.). Osprey. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-85045-163-4.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference burl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Crane, Dale. Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition. Newcastle, Washington: Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ISBN 1-56027-287-2. p. 224.