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Invention of silence

COMPLIED BY SUBAJAYANTHI B.

PHOTO: AFP

SILENT AIRCRAFT: In the future.

This is the model of a "silent aircraft" unveiled by researchers of Cambridge University in Britain and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S., recently. The design is intended for the generation after next of aircraft for entry into service in 2030. Named SAX-40, the aircraft has a tailless wedge-shaped body with two bat-wings. Officially, this is known as a "blended wing". It is also 35 per cent more fuel-efficient than any airliner currently flying. There are good economic reasons why design has remained so conservative. By making the fuselage a tube, aircraft-makers can easily build a family of larger or smaller variants, utilising many of the same parts. And by sticking engines under the wings, it's easier to maintain them, or upgrade them halfway through an aircraft's 30-year lifespan.

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