As aircraft developers explore unconventional configurations in search of higher efficiency and lower emissions, wind tunnel testing is playing a key role, providing data to validate modeling and fill gaps in understanding.

NASA and Boeing have now completed five wind tunnel campaigns with one ultraefficient aircraft concept, the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW). In high- and low-speed testing in 2019, the design—with its low-drag, high-aspect-ratio wing—continued to show promise as a future 737-class airliner.

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