X-66A Flight Demonstrator Prototype Paused for Continued Thin Wing Testing

NASA and Boeing recently shared that they are putting the development of their X-66A Sustainable Flight Demonstrator on hold. In the meantime, testing and research of thin wing technology will continue from the ground.

The aircraft project kicked off in 2023 with over a billion dollars of funding from both partners. The plan was to take an old McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing) MD-90 airliner and replace its wings with longer, thinner ones. If the project team’s math checked out, this modification would provide massive cuts to fuel consumption and emissions.

Boeing began the process of breaking down and scanning the MD-90 in early 2024 before starting to remove the jet’s wings and 19 fuselage sections. This would allow the company to install the new Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) and, hopefully, get the X-66A in the air in the third quarter of 2028.

At the time, the aerospace giant seemed to have big hopes for the project. It was even hinted that Boeing’s next wide body, replacing the 737, would utilize the same wing design.

Despite this, Boeing and NASA have now confirmed that development of the X-66A Sustainable Flight Demonstrator is being put on hold. The concept is not being thrown out entirely, however.

Boeing has shared that the dynamic duo is “evaluating an updated approach” to the project, continuing to experiment with thin-wing technology while putting work on the full-scale prototype on the back burner.

“We have learned a lot in the past few years partnering with NASA on the X-66 program that will influence the future generations of airplane design,” read a statement from Boeing. “Going forward, we will focus efforts on the single most-promising design feature … the thin-wing design.”

As ground-based research progresses, Boeing will switch multiple engineers from the X-66 project to sectors in need. Specifically, production lines for the 777X and 737 MAX commercial jets.

FMI: www.boeing.com