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Old 11-10-2017, 11:28 PM   #20 (permalink)
freebeard
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Quote:
The engineers also added generators to the wing-mounted turbofans, and the electricity generated by these engines is used to power the tail-mounted one. This means that the rear turbofan that provides much of the plane's thrust doesn't require any fuel to operate.
I think it's unfortunate wording. The tail location may have some advantage over the usual stuck-in-the-rudder solution. It may rely on new carbon-fiber fuselages that have less attached turbulence.

But starting at a high altitude, at high speed, there is a lot of energy to be regeneratively captured descending to rest. Which can be reused by the efficient tail engine back at cruise, after the extra wing engines idle back after the climb.
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