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Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
- r2sk5t 2mo ago[flagged]
- 4fterd4rk 2mo agoCool, but Boeing is doing it first with the 777X.
- dr_faustus 2mo agoLet's hope, it doesn't fall off...
- dan353hehe 2mo agodon't worry, they are built with: "very rigorous ... [areospace] engineering standards." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM
- xnx 2mo agoNeat! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_777X#Wing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_777X#Wing
- r2sk5t 2mo ago[flagged]
- fransje26 2mo agoIs that the plane that is already 7 years late due to certification issues?
- deweywsu 2mo agoThis is the new reality for all airliners now that there are much more rigorous mandatory safety analyses in place. The 777-9 just happened to be on the edge of certification when they came along.
- fransje26 2mo ago> This is the new reality for all airliners now that there are much more rigorous mandatory safety analyses in place. That's an interesting roundabout way of saying that they were not following the certification requirements before, and that it now takes much longer for them to actually conform to the rules they should have followed in the first place. > The 777-9 just happened to be on the edge of certification when they came along. Yeah, killing 346 passengers due to extreme negligence will do that to you.. These pesky FAA requirements standing in the way of business.. And more generally, door blow-outs during pressurization tests and engine pylons failing are maybe not things that can be blamed on certification rigorousness..
- deweywsu 2mo ago> they were not following the certification requirements before... Those requirements didn't yet exist. The multitude of new safety analysis requirements enacted by the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act that was passed in 2020 just overlapped the program's (then) planned introduction, which also slid.
- esskay 2mo agoCool, but then you'd be forced to fly on a Boeing.
- throw0101d 2mo agoFoldable wings have been on aircraft carriers for a while as well.
- buildsjets 2mo agoNo, Boeing did it first with the original 777, way back in 1994. A folding wingtip was designed, the folding mechanism was built and qualification tested, the engineering drawings were all released, it was added to the option catalog, but no customer ever ordered the option. https://simpleflying.com/boeing-once-offered-the-original-777-with-folding-wing-tips/ https://simpleflying.com/boeing-once-offered-the-original-77... You used to be able to see the qualification test rig mechanism at the Museum of Flight restoration center in Everett, but they scrapped it during the pandemic.
- gnabgib 2mo agoTitle: Airbus launches new flight test programme for Wing of Tomorrow ... doesn't look like there's any folding being tested here, just the resulting wing shape to see what the benefits might. Full scale foldable wings would be years off.
- r2sk5t 2mo agoYou're right, it's a proof of concept: "The extensions, each measuring several metres, will replicate a folding wing in the fully extended position during a flight. They will be fitted with comprehensive testing equipment to capture behaviour in flight and evaluate how the longer wingspan impacts aircraft handling."
- dotancohen 2mo agoNot just the shape, but also the mass placement and rigidity. I explain this in another comment, I don't want to cut and paste redundant info here but keep scrolling and you'll find it ))
- MaxikCZ 2mo agoNo pics?
- r2sk5t 2mo agohttps://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-07-airbus-launches-new-flight-test-programme-for-wing-of-tomorrow#related-assets https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-07-ai...
- moffkalast 2mo agoYeah that's uh, that's nothing. The orange part is supposed to be foldable somehow?
- daemonologist 2mo agoMy read is that they're announcing a plan to build non-folding wings to test the geometry they would eventually want with folding wings. Which makes sense but isn't very exciting.
- dotancohen 2mo agoIt's not just geometry, it's also where the mass is. And the rigid areas. Aircraft wings oscillate during flight, the location (and movement) of mass within them (e.g. fuel) is critical to model. Also, the location of the fold is likely less flexible (e.g. more rigid) than the remainder of the wing. This will greatly affect the dihedral angle of the remaining outboard portion of the wing.
- flybrand 2mo agoIt begs for a video too!
- mrhottakes 2mo agoThe headline is just clickbait, no such product exists to be videoed.
- happyopossum 2mo agoFTA: The extensions, each measuring several metres, will replicate a folding wing in the fully extended position during a flight So no, they are not foldable today - the headline submitted to HN is total clickbait.
- lisper 2mo agoAFAICT they don't exist at all today. They are just renderings. So double clickbait. A more accurate title would be, "Airbus announces plans to develop foldable wing extensions, with non-foldable versions as the first step" or something like that.
- nolok 2mo agoI mean the article is not lying about it only the title here, the title there is "Airbus launches new flight test programme for Wing of Tomorrow" and it's a press release for the start of a new program in their innovation area.
- rconti 2mo ago"Airbus tests extended-length wings to see if it's worth developing the technology to produce folding versions of the same"
- lisper 2mo agoNo, they are not testing these wings in the present, they are planning to test them in the future: "Over the next three years, Airbus will design, build and flight test full scale wing extensions."
- redsocksfan45 2mo ago[dead]
- bilsbie 2mo agoWhat’s the purpose of doing this? (Site won’t load for me)
- a4isms 2mo agoMy 2c: The goal is longer, thinner wings than usual. Long and thin wings are far more efficient—think gliders and the U2. But beyond a certain width, those wings become incompatible with existing airports and other facilities for handling commercial aircraft. So the idea is to mount folding extensions that are extended for flight, but likely fold when being hangered or navigating taxiways.
- roryirvine 2mo agoAnd, importantly, this programme is targetting the next generation of single-aisle aircraft. It was hard enough to convince a few dozen of the world's largest airports to make the alterations needed to accommodate the A380's wings. Demanding similar changes at the thousands of smaller airports where A320-class planes land would be a non-starter.
- a4isms 2mo ago> Demanding similar changes at the thousands of smaller airports where A320-class planes land would be a non-starter. Perhaps similar: One of the reasons the Vickers VC10 was so successful in the 60s and 70s was that it could operate from short runways, high ambient temperatures, and high altitudes compared to other jets of its era. It was far easier for carriers like BOAC to fly those into Britain's former colonies than it would have been to magically expect all those colobnies to update their airports. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_VC10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_VC10 p.s. As a boy, I flew to West Africa in 1970 on a VC10. Now I know some of the backstory.
- ceejayoz 2mo ago> The Wing of Tomorrow programme is centred around creating longer, lighter, and more slender wings to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel burn. The wing extensions will be assembled at Airbus’ Wing Technology Development Centre in the UK and flight tested in Toulouse.
- sleepyguy 2mo ago>The Wing of Tomorrow programme is centred around creating longer, lighter, and more slender wings to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel burn. The wing extensions will be assembled at Airbus’ Wing Technology Development Centre in the UK and flight tested in Toulouse. I can't say for certain, but I believe Boeing may have explored this concept at some point. The idea would be to equip aircraft with mechanically extendable wingtips that could expand outward by several meters during flight and retract while on the ground. The primary challenge is that most airport gates cannot accommodate aircraft with a significantly larger wingspan. Retractable wingtips would allow the aircraft to benefit from the improved aerodynamic efficiency and fuel savings of a longer wing in flight, while still fitting within existing gate infrastructure during boarding, deplaning, and parking.
- bglazer 2mo agoYes this is on the 777x, which is in pre-production and flight testing, seeking approvals from the FAA
- SoftTalker 2mo agoMilitary aircraft have done this for decades to deal with the confined space on aircraft carriers. It's not a new idea, nor any kind of new technology.
- stymaar 2mo agoDo you have any aircraft on mind that can unfold its wing while flying? (I'm aware of variable-sweep wing which can reconfigure in flight, or foldable wings that will be fold on the ground before parking).
- SoftTalker 2mo agoI don't see in that article that they are planning to unfold them in flight. There is mention that "In parallel, Airbus UpNext is accelerating the eXtra Performance WING demonstrator, focused on developing a wing that can change shape during flight" but that sounds like a separate project. My guess is that they will be folded after landing, and unfolded prior to takeoff, as other planes with foldable wings do, so that they can continue to fit in standard spaces in the parking/gate areas.
- jsrozner 2mo agoIt looks like you can get ~10-20% efficiency gain from these kinds of wings. https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/11/18/175391/folding-wings-will-make-boeings-next-airplane-more-efficient/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/11/18/175391/folding-w... That's a meaningful improvement but not that big. Perhaps the limits to this kind of technology are ~50% fuel gain? https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/01/24/180345/hybrid-wing-uses-half-the-fuel-of-a-standard-airplane/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/01/24/180345/hybrid-wi... We've got AI, but I'm still waiting on exponential technological gains. So far I've mostly gotten exponential enshittification of my google experience. Is AI going to unlock the detonation engine and bring down the cost of my plane ticket? https://www.technologyreview.com/2012/11/23/181486/exploding-engine-could-reduce-fuel-consumption/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2012/11/23/181486/exploding...
- dotancohen 2mo agoThe first paragraph of your comment is very informative. The rest, not so much. I highly suggest editing the rest out.
- adamweld 2mo ago20% would be an absolutely massive accomplishment. Think about how many decades of incremental improvement have gotten us to the efficiencies we have today.
- mtrovo 2mo ago20% efficiency means you can open single isle flights on 25% longer distances, which open a lot of routes that are not profitable with regular long haul planes. I've flown on the A321LR a few times, and it's always crazy to think about that tiny plane cruising over the Atlantic without stops.
- carabiner 2mo agoThis is a massive improvement for airliners where margins are a few %. Tube and wing configuration is already highly optimized. This is a physical problem with a hard limit. Can you make a sphere "exponentially" rounder?
- metalman 2mo agoOrville Wright could have explained the reduced drag asociated with a higher aspect wing in 1902, perhaps useing his own terminology as airodynamics as a concept was still stuck in he and his brothers heads for the most part, but was very well known by 1910 and on up. Airbus should probably stick to structural engineering refinement, which they are rather good at, and not try and sell themselves as inovators, which they are not.