Hyperdrive
Airbus Unveils Hydrogen Designs for Zero-Emission Flight
- Planemaker studies concepts including turbofan, flying wing
- Blended wing design “most challenging” to do: chief engineer
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European planemaker Airbus SE unveiled three designs it’s studying to build hydrogen-powered aircraft as it races to bring a zero-carbon passenger plane into service by 2035.
The approaches include a turbofan jet with capacity for as many as 200 passengers -- similar to its A321neo narrow-body -- that can fly more than 2,000 nautical miles, according to a statement Monday. It would be powered by a modified gas-turbine engine running on hydrogen.