ZEexplore Truss-Braced-Wing Turbofan

T25

The concept aircraft T25 features a special wing technology – the truss-braced wing. The slender high mounted- and supported wing is designed to improve efficiency and leads to a reduced fuel consumption as its increased wingspan and optimization for natural laminar flow (NLF) reduces aerodynamic drag.

The T25 also features an Ultra-High Bypass Ratio (UHBR) turbofan engine, which significantly improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions compared to traditional turbofan engines.

In addition, this aircraft allows for energy flexibility - it can either be operated with synthetic or with fossil kerosene.

The T25 features a strut to enable a slender, high-aspect ratio wing, yielding an improved aerodynamic efficiency without a significant increase of the wing mass; the wingtips are foldable to maintain a good compatibility with existing airport infrastructures. Furthermore, as the high aspect-ratio wing has a low internal volume, part of the fuel is stored in an integral fuselage tank.




Advantages

  • ⬆️ High aerodynamic efficiency
  • ⬆️ Highly compatible with existing aircraft infrastructures
  • ⬆️ Little to no reliance on an active gust load alleviation system

Challenges

  • ➡️ The additional strut component of the wing can lead to higher manufacturing costs
  • ➡️ Challenging aerodynamic design

Project & Partners

The T25 was designed in the Germany federal aviation research programme LuFo-VII project ZEexplore in partnership with Airbus.

Outlook

In the next steps of the ZEexplore project, different variants of this concept will be developed to investigate the possible synergies with other technologies. This will include a liquid hydrogen powered version, and one featuring an open-rotor engine.

Key Characteristics

Name Unit Value
Design Range NM (km) 2500
Design Passenger Capacity - 239
Design Cruise Mach Number - 0.78
Max. Take-Off Mass (MTOM) t 84.7
Max. Landing Mass t 74.2
Maximum Zero-Fuel Mass t 71.5
Operating Empty Mass (OEM) t 46.5
Maximum Fuel Mass t 15.9
Max. Payload t 25
Wing Area m^2 122.7
Wing Span m 49.5
Mean Aerodynamic Chord m 2.1
Wing Loading (at MTOM) kg/m^2 577.7
Thrust-to-Weight Ratio (at ISA) - 0.209
Engine Type - Turbofan
Thrust (a Sea Level Static, ISA) kN 86.6

Mass Breakdown


Payload-Range Diagram





Key Characteristics

Research Category Future Concept
Entry into Service 2035
Passengers 239
Range (km) 4630
Wing Span (m) 49.5
Maximum Take-Off Mass (t) 84.692
Cruise Mach Number 0.78
Cruise Speed (km/h) 828.5
Energy Carrier Synth. Kerosene
Energy Consumption 13.5
Total Installed Power (MW) 30.6

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