An artist's impression of the silent aircraft designed by British and U.S. aeronautics experts.

Credit: AFP

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LONDON: Plans for a new generation of silent aircraft, designed to slash fuel consumption as well as noise were unveiled by British and U.S. aeronautics experts yesterday.

The single wing aircraft, which looks a bit like a spaceship, would hold 250 passengers and use 25 per cent less fuel than the current average, said its creators. They hope to have it flying commercially by 2030.

The project "has been a great success in bringing many stakeholders together to study what an aircraft of the future might look like if very low noise was the primary requirement," said Colin Smith from aircraft engine-making giant Rolls-Royce.

The Silent Aircraft Initiative (SAI) has since 2003 gathered some 40 researchers from the University of Cambridge in England and the Massachusettes Institute of Technology in the U.S., as well as an array of aeronautics-linked firms.

As well as cutting engine noise, the designers focused on adapting the structure of the aircraft, which is responsible for half of the noise a plane creates on landing.

To do this they created a single flying wing, with the body of the aircraft also functioning to give lift. This allows a slower landing approach which reduces noise, as well as improving fuel efficiency at cruising altitudes.

The new plane also does away with wing flaps, a major source of noise, while the undercarriage has been simplified and its aerodynamics improved. Rather than placing the engines in pods suspended beneath the wings, the three engines are mounted on the top of the aircraft, to screen much noise from the ground.

Some backers of the project admit to having had doubts at first about its viability. "My first reaction on hearing of the Silent Aircraft Initiative was profound scepticism," said Doctor John Green of Greener by Design, which promotes environmentally-friendly air transport options.

"Three years on, I have to concede that the SAI has surpassed my expectations by quite a margin. The team has produced a ... credible design that is predicted to meet the original target," he added.

Firms collaborating on the project include British Airways, BAA (formerly the British Airports Authority), Boeing, Bruel and Kjaer, the Civil Aviation Authority, and DHL.