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China tests model of superplane with an 85-meter wingspan, flying wing configuration, capacity for over 800 passengers, and cruising speed at Mach 0.8.
China has placed one of the most radical concepts ever presented for the future of commercial aviation into a wind tunnel: a passenger aircraft in a flying wing configuration, with an 85-meter wingspan, only 43 meters in length, about 1,395 m² of wing area, and a designed capacity for over 800 people. The design, developed by the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre, known as CARDC, abandons the traditional image of an aircraft consisting of a cylindrical fuselage, two wings, and a tail, instead transforming nearly the entire structure into a massive aerodynamic surface capable of generating lift.
Despite the colossal dimensions planned, there is currently no Chinese aircraft with an 85-meter wingspan ready for flight. What the researchers actually placed in the wind tunnel was a 1:52 scale stainless steel model, with approximately 1.6 meters wingspan and 80 centimeters in length.
Chinese superplane would have an 85-meter wingspan
The first figure that sets the project apart from current commercial aviation standards is the wingspan.
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The concept envisions a 85-meter wingspan from tip to tip.
In comparison, the Airbus A380, officially recognized by the European manufacturer as the largest commercial passenger aircraft in service, has a 79.8-meter wingspan. This means the Chinese concept would be approximately 5.2 meters wider than the gigantic European quadjet.
The difference may seem relatively small in percentage terms, around 6.5%, but takes on a new dimension when viewed in the context of airport infrastructure.
The A380 has already required adaptations at airports around the world precisely due to its combination of size, weight, and width.
An 85-meter aircraft would pose new challenges for taxiing, parking positions, boarding bridges, hangars, and spacing between aircraft on the tarmac.
Wing area of 1,395 m² significantly exceeds that of the A380
The difference becomes even more impressive when considering the area of the lifting surface. The CARDC concept has approximately 1,395 square meters of wing area.
The A380 has about 845 m². Therefore, the surface area projected for the Chinese concept would be around 65% larger.
The explanation is directly related to the radical shape. In a conventional aircraft, a relatively narrow fuselage carries passengers while laterally positioned wings produce much of the lift needed.
In the flying wing or integrated body configuration, a far greater portion of the aircraft itself participates in that process.
The visual result is a wide, flat structure, very different from current commercial airplanes.
Design Resembles a Gigantic B-2 Bomber
It is precisely the design that triggers immediate comparisons with the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber known for its silhouette resembling a massive wing.
The comparison is visual and aerodynamic, not operational.
The Chinese design studied by CARDC has a civilian purpose and aims to transport passengers, whereas the B-2 was developed for strategic military missions.
Even so, both explore principles related to the flying wing configuration.
The size of the Chinese model envisioned at full scale would be even more impressive: its 85-meter wingspan is approximately 1.6 times that of the B-2 Spirit.
In other words, it would be like drastically enlarging the silhouette of one of the world’s most recognizable military aircraft and transforming its massive internal body into a cabin for hundreds of passengers.
Over 800 People Could Travel Inside the Massive Wing
The projected capacity exceeds 800 passengers. This number places the design in the realm of the largest commercial aircraft ever imagined, but it necessitates an important caveat when compared to the A380.
The Airbus is typically utilized by airlines with configurations significantly below 800 passengers. Airbus mentions approximately 545 seats in a four-class configuration in its historical documents.
However, the A380 is officially certified to carry up to 853 passengers in a high-density configuration. Therefore, it is not accurate to state that the Chinese concept necessarily surpasses the A380’s certified maximum capacity simply because it intends to carry more than 800 people.
The distinction lies in how this enormous number of passengers would be accommodated.
Instead of distributing people within two decks installed in a long fuselage, like the A380, a flying wing aircraft would allow for a much wider cabin.
This could result in rows, aisles, and interior areas that are completely different from those present in current airplanes.
At Only 43 Meters Long, It Would Be Much Shorter Than the A380
The gigantic width contrasts with another surprising number. The concept is only 43 meters long.
The Airbus A380 measures approximately 73 meters. Thus, the Chinese design would be about 30 meters shorter than the largest commercial aircraft currently in service, while having a greater wingspan.
This combination explains the unusual appearance. A conventional plane typically has a long, relatively narrow fuselage.
The CARDC model does virtually the opposite: it concentrates large internal volume laterally in a massive supporting structure. The result is an aircraft that is wider than it is long.
Model Achieved Lift-to-Drag Ratio Close to 20
Initial tests produced numbers that justify further study of the project. In the wind tunnel, the model reached a maximum lift-to-drag ratio close to 20 at speeds below Mach 0.7.
When the speed reached Mach 0.8, the recorded ratio was approximately 17.6. This ratio is one of the indicators used to measure aerodynamic efficiency.
In general terms, the higher the number, the more lift is being produced relative to the drag faced by the aircraft.
The results of a reduced-scale model cannot, however, be automatically transferred to a full-scale operational aircraft.
Engines, systems, landing gear, pressurized cabin, structure, fuel, and equipment would alter weight and aerodynamic behavior.
China built a 1.6-meter model to simulate a giant 85-meter aircraft
To conduct the tests, researchers did not need to build the complete aircraft. A 1:52 scale model made of stainless steel was produced.
The small version has about 1.6 meters of wingspan and 0.8 meters in length. It was installed in a transonic wind tunnel at CARDC and subjected to flows corresponding to speeds between Mach 0.4 and Mach 0.8.
The researchers were able to observe aerodynamic behavior, boundary layer transition, longitudinal and lateral stability, structural deformation, and measurement accuracy.
This work is crucial before any project of such complexity can advance to larger prototypes.
Mach 0.8 would place the superplane near the speed of today’s large jets
The design establishes Mach 0.8 as the reference cruise speed. Mach represents a fraction of the local speed of sound and thus does not correspond to a fixed number of kilometers per hour, as the speed of sound varies mainly with temperature and altitude.
Still, Mach 0.8 places the concept within the same general range of high-speed subsonic flight used by large commercial aircraft.
The A380, for example, has a long-range cruise speed close to Mach 0.85, according to data from Airbus itself.
China, therefore, is not proposing to turn this giant into a supersonic aircraft.
The aim is to combine massive capacity and greater aerodynamic efficiency while maintaining speeds compatible with conventional commercial aviation.
Project originated smaller before growing to the 800-passenger class
The concept did not start immediately with such colossal proportions. According to information associated with CARDC’s work, researchers previously studied an integrated wing configuration aimed at approximately 250 passengers.
Earlier Chinese projects of blended wing body were also tested in wind tunnels, including configurations for approximately 450 seats designed to study different engine positions.
The new architecture of over 800 passengers drastically increases the scale.
This allows for evaluation of how a high aspect ratio configuration would behave if used in an aircraft with capacity comparable to the largest commercial jets in history.
Transforming a Giant Wing into a Cabin Creates New Challenges
The aerodynamic advantages do not eliminate enormous challenges. The first issue concerns pressurization.
Cylindrical fuselages are extremely efficient at withstanding pressure differences between the cabin interior and the external environment during high-altitude flight.
A wide and flattened cabin requires different structural solutions. Evacuation would also pose a challenge.
Carrying more than 800 passengers means demonstrating that everyone could exit the aircraft within the strict limits mandated by aviation authorities, even with some exits disabled during certification testing.
The passenger experience would also change.
In an extremely wide cabin, several people could travel far from any windows, while airlines would need to rethink aisles, restrooms, kitchens, boarding processes, and class distribution.
China Expands Ambition Beyond the C919
The development of technology is taking place as China seeks to consolidate an aerospace industry capable of competing in increasingly larger categories.
The CARDC has participated in work related to important projects, including the C919, a single-aisle commercial aircraft, and the Y-20, a large Chinese military transport.
At the same time, the country is working on the C929, a wide-body, long-range commercial aircraft project.
The South China Morning Post also highlights Chinese research related to supersonic concepts, including the C949.
The 85-meter aircraft represents an even more experimental step in this strategy.
Rather than simply reproducing the traditional architecture used by Airbus and Boeing, the project investigates a configuration capable of completely changing the shape of a large passenger aircraft.
