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I thought the issue was that it was hard to pressurize a blended wing design. All pressurized planes are pretty much a tube shape, which are easier to design to
by kart23 4y ago
I thought the issue was that it was hard to pressurize a blended wing design. All pressurized planes are pretty much a tube shape, which are easier to design to endure metal fatigue and lots of pressurization cycles. The skin of an airliner is 2-4mm thick, I think you would need a substantially thicker skin for this shape.
- MBCook 4y agoBut do you need to pressurize it? Only the crew space needs that which could be a small/short tube in the middle right behind (and including) the cockpit. The fuel tanks don’t care. They’re not pressurized on a normal design. The cargo may not need it either.
- kart23 4y agotrue. I thought cargo planes are often used for troop transport and this would be the same, but if they're solely using it for cargo/fuel it should be fine.
- nradov 4y agoModern tankers are actually multirole aircraft which can carry small amounts of cargo and/or personnel when necessary. This makes operations more flexible. With something like a KC-46 the entire fuselage including the cargo area is pressurized.
- swagasaurus-rex 4y agoDon't some fuels like gasoline evaporate more quickly under lower pressure?
- ompaLompa 4y agoTransported fuel will be in sealed containers.