Reuters – July 19th, 2019 – Airbus mimics nature with ‘Bird of Prey’ concept plane
Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Tom Brown
RAF FAIRFORD, England (Reuters) – Airbus (AIR.PA) on Friday unveiled a concept aircraft with splayed wingtips and a fanned tail inspired by the feathers of an eagle as it experiments with “biomimicry” technology that could eventually lead to quieter landings and less pollution.
The European planemaker’s UK subsidiary sought to capture the imagination of future engineers by showing off a model of the raptor-like airliner at a military air show in England.
The propeller-driven aircraft would have individually controlled “feathers” on the wingtips to provide…