Small Isn’t Beautiful When It Comes to the Nuclear Renaissance
If the US and Europe want to catch up with Asia on reactor deployment, they will need to focus on conventional designs, not tiny models.
Why aren’t passenger jets these days all flying-wing aircraft, like the B-2 Stealth Bomber? In theory, seating passengers, cargo and fuel inside one enormous wing offers compelling advantages. The design would be lighter and provide more lift than a conventional aircraft, offering considerable savings on fuel, the biggest expense for airlines.
The answer lies in the benefits of path dependency. Every airport in the world is designed around the single wing-fuselage that’s predominated for nearly a century. Critical safety protocols have been built upon decades of experience with conventional aircraft. The putative advantages that flying wings may have aren’t enough to overcome those drawbacks.