Aerodynamic Advances Through Laminar Flow: A Conceptual Aircraft Design Study

Improving fuel efficiency is a primary challenge in modern aviation, with aerodynamics serving as a key enabler. Aerodynamic friction drag accounts for more than 50% of total drag, highlighting a significant opportunity for efficiency gains through laminar flow, which reduces skin friction drag. In addition, increasing the wing aspect ratio while maintaining a constant lift coefficient to achieve maximum lift-to-drag ratio can further improve aerodynamic performance. However, evaluating laminar flow in isolation, without considering overall mass, system power requirements, or engine performance, can lead to an incomplete assessment of its true technological potential. In this study, a conceptual design methodology was applied to integrate laminar-flow technologies (natural and hybrid) across the wing, empennage, nacelle, and fuselage of a 2035 long-haul reference aircraft. Results indicate a potential for 16% block fuel reduction at the aircraft level, with wing aspect-ratio tailoring delivering up to 24% fuel savings. These findings will be refined through detailed disciplinary analyses in future work.