CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -18 June 2016. NASA will test new propulsion technology using an experimental airplane now designated the X-57 and nicknamed “Maxwell.” The X-57 features 14 electric motors turning propellers, all of them integrated into a uniquely-designed wing.

Detailed explanation-2: -The X-57 Maxwell is the agency’s first all-electric experimental aircraft. The main goal of the project is to share X-57’s electric propulsion-based design with regulators in a bid to advance certification approaches for emerging electric aircraft.

Detailed explanation-3: -A hybrid electric aircraft is an aircraft with a hybrid electric powertrain. As the energy density of lithium-ion batteries is much lower than aviation fuel, a hybrid electric powertrain may effectively increase flight range compared to pure electric aircraft.

Detailed explanation-4: -Air Canada and United Airlines are among the first customers for a new hybrid-electric airplane from Heart Aerospace. The aircraft, named the ES-30 for its 30-passenger capacity, replaces the Gothenburg, Sweden-based planemaker’s all-electric ES-19 airplane that United first committed to last year.