Boeing has selected the Embraer E170 regional jet to be the next platform in a series of flying testbeds for advanced technologies named ecoDemonstrators.
The selection builds on a growing cooperative relationship between the American and Brazilian aircraft manufacturers, which began during Boeing’s failed attempt to sell F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to the Brazilian air force in 2013.
Embraer and Boeing signed an agreement allowing Boeing to use a E170 test aircraft as the next ecoDemonstrator, succeeding a former Thomson Airways 757-200 that was retired last year.
The new collaboration also means Embraer will share in the discoveries made by the ecoDemonstrator flight test campaign.
“As we integrate and test different technologies in a single aircraft, we contribute to consolidate in Brazil a powerful tool to support technological development and innovation - the technology demonstrator platform," says Mauro Kern, executive vice-president of operations at Embraer.
Planned demonstrations on the E170 include a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor for improving air data reliability over pitot tubes, an ice phobic paint, a new design for slats optimised for lower noise on takeoff and landing, new techniques for visualizing air flow over the wings and a Brazilian-sourced biofuel blend with kerosene composed of 10% biological sources and 90% from fossil fuel.
Since 2012, three ecoDemonstrator platforms – a Southwest Airlines 737-800, a Boeing-owned 787-8 and the 757 — have tested more than 50 technologies, Boeing says.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
