March 27, 2026, ©. Leeham News: We have started a series of articles about the Blended WingBody (BWB) as a potentially more efficient passenger-carrying airliner design than the classical Tube And Wing (TAW) configuration.
In the second article last week, we saw that the aircraft skin surface area, which creates the dominant skin friction drag, was smaller than that of the same capacity Boeing 767...
The strongest version of this narrative presents a nuanced critique of the Blended Wing Body (BWB) design, acknowledging its potential structural efficiencies while highlighting significant aerodynamic trade-offs. The analysis is grounded in technical specifics, such as the lack of a horizontal tailplane and the resulting need for larger wings, which is a credible and well-supported argument. The piece avoids emotional exploitation or distortion, focusing instead on engineering realities. Howeve...