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" The A350XWB, which should hit a major milestone this week by logging its first flight on Friday, is often considered to be Airbus&amp;#039;s answer to the Boeing 787. In reality, the A350 is much more than that. Spanning a large portion of the long-range widebody market with its three variants, the A350 is also poised to challenge Boeing&amp;#039;s highly successful 777 as well. And by taking a more conservative design approach to reach new heights in fuel efficiency, range, and reliability, Airbus might steer clear of the kind of new-plane growing pains that have plagued the Dreamliner. Lighter, Sleeker, Better Although it is a groundbreaking aircraft, the A350 is a more conventional design than the 787, whose lithium-ion battery woes grounded the plane this spring. Nevertheless, Airbus says it has achieved a reported 25 percent efficiency gain over previous-generation aircraft, thanks to the A350&amp;#039;s advanced engines, its extensive use of composite and other lightweight materials both in the fuselage and the wings, and from superior aerodynamics developed using rigorous computational fluid-dynamics simulations. Two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB turbofan engines, each producing up to 97,000 pounds of thrust, power the A350. Rolls claims the Trent XWB is &amp;quot;the world&amp;#039;s most efficient large civil aero engine&amp;quot; and accounts for one-third of the A350&amp;#039;s efficiency gains. Weight reductions, bladed-disk-compressor technology, and a revolutionary cooling system are some of the design factors that contribute to the superior fuel economy. Lightweight materials are another key feature. Each of the A350&amp;#039;s three fuselage sections contains four large composite body panels mounted on frames made of composites and metal. And where the 787&amp;#039;s construction uses four fuselage barrels that are each a single composite component, the A350&amp;#039;s setup is more similar to traditional aluminum-aircraft-skin-on-frame construction\u2014and in case of damage to the airframe, the composite skin panels could be replaced individually. In many other areas, the technology in the A350 is deliberately similar to what&amp;#039;s onboard the A380, which has been flying for years. Both planes use a doubly redundant hydraulic system with an electro-hydraulic backup (most other jets have three completely redundant hydraulic systems). One important way that Airbus chose not to follow Boeing&amp;#039;s lead was by opting for a more conventional pneumatic system that draws bleed air from the engines to power onboard systems. Though this design saps some efficiency from the engines, it allows the A350 to use a more traditional electrical architecture\u2014and, hopefully, avoid the electrical problems of the Dreamliner. In fact, during the 787&amp;#039;s grounding, Airbus said it would change the A350&amp;#039;s battery system, initiating what was likely a costly redesign to switch the plane&amp;#039;s lithium-ion batteries out for heavier nickel\u2013cadmium batteries that are considered to be safer. Airbus vs Boeing The A350 has three variants. The smallest, the A350-800, will compete directly with the 787. With a capacity of 270 passengers, the A350-800 falls between the 787-8, which has already made its commercial debut, and the larger 787-9, which is slated to debut in 2014. But where the A350 poses the greater threat to Boeing is actually against the blockbuster 777 line. The first new Airbus to debut, the A350-900, will go head-to-head against Boeing&amp;#039;s 777-200ER, sporting an identical 314-passenger capacity in three classes. According to Airbus, the A350-900 will boast a 25 percent efficiency margin over the Boeing jet. For Airbus, the timing is excellent, as many airlines will be looking to replace the more than 400 aging 777-200s currently in service, many of which were delivered in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And the most interesting matchup is between the A350-1000 and Boeing&amp;#039;s flagship 386-passenger 777-300ER. This Boeing plane is a favorite of Asian and Middle Eastern carriers, with industry trendsetter Emirates flying more than 80 and having more than 60 on order. But Boeing is feeling the pressure: Emirates now has 70 A350s on order, with options for 50 more. And last month, British Airways, long considered a Boeing stalwart, placed an order for 18 A350-1000s, with options for another 18 as part of its plan to replace its 747 fleet. Next Steps After the first flight milestone, the five A350 flight-test aircraft will be subjected to a battery of tests that validate the airframe at the limits of its performance. The plane is scheduled to enter service with Qatar Airways at the end of 2014. With a backlog of 634 aircraft, and production slots filled out to 2020, the A350 is set to shake up the market once its production ramps up in 2015. By 2018, Airbus will be churning out 10 A350s a month\u2014two more than Boeing&amp;#039;s rate on the 777 line. With airlines such as Emirates, Qatar, Cathay Pacific, and United lined up to buy it, the A350 poses a strong challenge to Boeing&amp;#039;s dominance in big planes capable of carrying 250 to 350 seats. Now Boeing has responded in kind, offering its next-generation 777X to airlines last month, meaning that the official launch of the program\u2014which would have a target entry into service of 2019\u2014may only be a few months away. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a9009/lookout-boeing-airbus-a350-set-to-debut-15580033/>