The Ultra Performance Wing project (“UP wing”) will validate, down select, mature and demonstrate key technologies and provide the architectural integration of high aspect ratio wing concepts for targeted ultra-efficient Short/Medium Range aircraft (SMR), i.e. ~150-250 PAX and ~1000-3700km (~500-2000nm) range.
Independent of future energy carriers, energy efficiency is continuing to be a crucial challenge for future aircraft design. Even near-term solutions based on SAF (kerosene-like) fuels cannot be successful without enabling technologies for a significant improvement in energy efficiency, contributing to a visible reduction in emissions. In any case significantly improved energy efficiency is the only lever for maintaining acceptable affordability of future aircraft in operations, as all sustainable fuels will be expensive and limited in availability in the first decades of introduction.
The wing plays the dominating role for a further drastically drag & weight improved aircraft. The more the product concept may change the more the wing design concept has to be adapted.
Two main challenges will be addressed covering most of the potential design space:
1) Configuration1: An aircraft equipped with a novel ultra-high performance wing using SAF (sustainable “kerosene-like” fuels) targeting TRL4 by end of UP Wing phase1 (Q1/2026)
2) Configuration2: An aircraft equipped with a novel ultra-high performance wing exploiting non-drop-in fuels such as hydrogen in cryogenic storage will be investigated, including different types of propulsions.
The ambitions of the “integrated wing component” are targeting an increased efficiency of 10…13% in terms of aerodynamic improvement (drag) at minimum weight for Configuration1, in order to contribute to the targeted product high level ambition of minimum 30% fuel burn reduction at aircraft level compared to a 2020 reference state of the art aircraft with conventional technologies.
An overall aircraft level driven approach is crucial: While the building blocks for ultra-efficiency are largely similar, the overall a/c concept differs between either a wing component providing the fuel storage in case (a) and in case (b) e.g. a “dry wing” concept. These different pathways result in strong variations of the overall planform concept (overall aircraft interface, landing gear concept front spar/rear spar and moveables integration space), the industrial degrees of freedom up to operational aspects in terms of maintenance and service.
The “product integration backbone” therefore will address both identified pathways. Both pathways can also cover a staggered approach along the timeline. While (a) more targets a shorter term feasibility with an entry into service target pre 2035, (b) will encompass the full range of opportunity of a sustainable aircraft including novel energy carriers and optimisation up to realistic physical boundaries.
The top-level ambition of the two mentioned product classes results into following high-level objectives:
1. Minimise global warming impact (via Green House Gas emission reduction) by providing cutting edge technology for energy efficiency, i.e. minimised aerodynamic drag and system/structural
weight and integration of novel propulsion concepts
2. Guarantee safety & operational compliance by ensuring flight controls, loads, handling quality and structural design compliance to regulations, with reliable architectural concepts and qualified validation of advanced technology bricks beyond todays range of confidence
3. Ensure product viability by ensuring compliance to realistic industrial environments and drivers, such as physical integration and installation principles.
4. Minimise development time and development risks by applying a concurrent end-to-end driven approach along an integrated virtual modelling chain, considering all engineering & industrialisation aspects.
