Russia's United Aircraft Corp. (UAC, Chalet 361) is showing off the latest iteration of its M-60 concept aircraft (Hall 2a Stand B198), featuring a lifting body, unswept wing and engines mounted above a wide composite fuselage.

The design, a joint effort of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (tsAGI) and Myasishchev Design Bureau, offers myriad potential benefits over conventional configurations, according to UAC, including improved safety and aerodynamic performance. A notional small regional aircraft based on the concept could have about 50 seats and three aisles with a range of 3,000 miles, UAC said.

Elements of the concept have been tested for years as part of exploring non-traditional configurations, UAC noted. Future work, part of a broader effort to develop next-generation aircraft designs, will include more aerodynamic modeling and perhaps a working demonstrator.