BRITISH AEROSPACE(BAe) Airbus is carrying out preliminary windtunnel tests of an A3XX configuration which has foreplanes on the upper-forward fuselage, at its Bristol Filton, UK, site.
The foreplanes are designed to reduce cruise drag, by off-loading aerodynamic forces on the aircraft's horizontal stabiliser. Their overall span is roughly half that of the stabiliser.
The idea had also been considered for the stretched A340-600 (Flight International, 27 March - 2 April), but was ruled out after studies showed that the benefits of using foreplanes on a derivative of the existing A340 design would be minimal.
It was also feared that the A340 foreplanes could obstruct aircraft loading bridges, although the two-deck A3XX would be unlikely to encounter this problem.
"These tests using canard wings are in the early stages, but they appear to have been successful," says Tony Creeth, project leader for A3XX engineering studies. "The next step is to look at this idea in more detail. The canard wings are only one of many ideas under consideration," he adds.
Source: Flight International
