Aurora_D8
Aurora D8
Airliner concept
The Aurora D8, also known as the D8 Airliner, is an airliner concept under development as of mid 2017.[2] The project was initiated in 2008 by Aurora Flight Sciences, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Pratt & Whitney under NASA's sponsorship of $2.9 million (£2.19 million).[3]
This article needs to be updated. (June 2023) |
Aurora is refining the fuel-efficient D8 designed for NASA by MIT, and originally hoped to fly a half-scale demonstrator in 2022.[4] The 180-seat, 3,000-nautical-mile-range (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) airliner is designed to fly at 582 mph (937 km/h; 506 kn) within the capabilities of the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 and could be in test service by 2027 at the earliest and 2035 at the latest.[5]
Aurora Flight Sciences was purchased by Boeing on November 8, 2017 for their drone developments. The subsidiary is intended to accelerate Boeing's development of autonomous technology.[6]