Revolutionary Airbus concept planes are a glimpse into aviation’s future

A while back, Airbus unveiled three concepts that could serve as a platform for the next generation of airliners.

All three concepts are called ZEROe, but they’re actually quite different from one another.

These concepts may take a while to transition into an actual production aircraft, but it might just be worth the wait.

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The main goal is to maximize efficiency.

Aerospace manufacturers are constantly trying to bring their emissions down and their efficiency up.

And ZEROe is designed to do exactly that.

Zero-emission aircraft with a respectable range

The ZEROe program comprises three aircraft designs.

First, there’s a turbofan design powered by a hydrogen turbine and capable of accommodating up to 200 passengers for journeys of 2,000+ nautical miles.

Second, there’s a turboprop design, also powered by hydrogen but with turboprops, capable of flying for up to 1,000 nautical miles with 100 passengers on board.

Last but definitely not least, there’s the futuristic-looking blended-wing design, which is capable of carrying up to 200 passengers.

The reason why Airbus ZEROe has a familiar ‘face’

The blended-wing version of the Airbus ZEROe program is probably the most striking out of the three.

Blended-wing design is clearly something aerospace manufacturers are heavily focused on at the moment.

There’s the JetZero concept, and there’s also another Airbus concept that looks a lot like the ZEROe, the ‘Maverick‘.

Pictured below: left, Airbus Maverick – right, Airbus ZEROe

But, there’s a reason for this.

Manufacturers believe that using blended-wing planes might be the best option to maximize efficiency by reducing drag.

And aerodynamics is at the center of everything, because a more aerodynamically efficient aircraft can fly faster while consuming less fuel.

All that remains to be seen is whether they can pull it off for a commercial aircraft.