>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.

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om42 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Yeah, Boeing has the 777X that features folding wingtips. It still going certification and is looking like it'll be out next year (originally 2020).

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SoftTalker 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Military 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.

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stymaar 2 days ago | parent [-]

Do 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).

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SoftTalker 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

I 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.

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adolph 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> Do you have any aircraft on mind that can unfold its wing while flying?

XB-70 Valkyrie

	▲	stymaar a day ago \| parent [-]
		TIL, thank you!

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bglazer 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Yes this is on the 777x, which is in pre-production and flight testing, seeking approvals from the FAA