As we enter a new century, aviation faces challenges as great as any it faced in the previous one. On the commercial side, Airbus is pressing ahead with its double-deck A380, which will present new problems in passenger handling and airport capacity. Boeing, having abandoned its Supersonic Cruiser, is committed to the 'super efficient' 7E7 family, which will offer far greater efficiency than the aircraft it is intended to replace. Increasing public concern over the environment has virtually ruled out supersonic transport unless some revolutionary technical development introduces radical changes. In the military sphere, the trend is away from the seemingly perpetual desire to go ever faster, further and higher―towards stealth and multi-mission aircraft more suited to nations unable to afford massive defence budgets. Moreover, there is a growing interest in unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), both for reconnaissance and combat. Despite frequent claims as the past century drew to a close that the age of the piloted combat aircraft was about to end, can this prediction really be coming to pass? The environmental aspects of commercial aircraft operations, encompassing concern for the Earth's ozone layer, means that the need for 'greener' engines is having a profound effect on the perceptions of coming generations of aircraft.
展开▼
