NASA Dryden: X-48B Resumes Flight Tests

After undergoing a major overhaul and upgrades, the Boeing / NASA X-48B Blended Wing Body research aircraft resumed flight tests with a checkout flight Sept. 21 from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

The subscale, manta ray-shaped, remotely piloted airplane, also called a hybrid wing body, is a tool of NASA's new Environmentally Responsible Aviation, or ERA, project. ERA aims to develop the technology needed to create quieter, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient airplanes for the future.

After completion of its first phase of flight testing, the airplane was disassembled for a complete inspection and refurbishment.

This new series of flight tests will focus on additional parameter identification investigations following installation and checkout of a new flight computer.

The parameter identification work will evaluate the new computer’s control of the aircraft’s flight control surfaces and the airplane's performance.