---
title: "Airbus Debuts Wild Plane Concept Inspired by Birds of Prey"
description: "Better Nature Nature has long been a source of inspiration for engineers — because living organisms have had countless years to evolve ideal solutions to the challenges posed by their environments, they’re an excellent jumping-off point for machines designed to navigate those same environments. Now, aeronautics company Airbus has unveiled a new aircraft design inspired […]"
date: "2019-07-23"
modified: "2019-07-24"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/airbus-wild-plane-concept-birds-of-prey"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
tags:
  - "airbus"
  - "biomimicry"
  - "concept vehicle"
  - "the digest"
---

# Airbus Debuts Wild Plane Concept Inspired by Birds of Prey

![Airbus has unveiled a new airplane design inspired by birds of prey, and it hopes the wild-looking concept will inspire the next generation of engineers.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/airbus-wild-plane-concept-birds-of-prey.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Airbus\</em\>*

## Better Nature

Nature has long served as a [source of inspiration](<https://futurism.com/bioinspired-researchers-look-nature-solve-humanitys-biggest-problems>) for engineers — because living organisms have had countless years to evolve ideal solutions to the challenges of their environments, they're an excellent jumping-off point for designing machines to navigate those same environments.

Now, aeronautics company Airbus has unveiled a [new aircraft design](<https://www.dezeen.com/2019/07/22/airbus-bird-of-prey-feather-wings-design/>) inspired by birds of prey, such as eagles and falcons — and it hopes the wild-looking concept will inspire today's youth to become the aerospace engineers of tomorrow.

https://twitter.com/Airbus/status/1152206442356707334

## It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

Airbus debuted its "Bird of Prey" aircraft at the recent Royal International Air Tattoo event in England, and it looks like something out of a cartoon.

Both the airplane's tail and its wings feature "feather-like" structures that Airbus said in a [press release](<https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/news/en/2019/07/airbus-conceptual-airliner-to-inspire-new-generation-engineers.html>) could be individually manipulated to "provide active flight control."

The plane's body is orange, while its wings are blue, white, and gold. Its tail, meanwhile, sports a Union Jack design — not exactly a cohesive color scheme, but definitely attention-grabbing.

## "Wow" Factor

Airbus doesn't plan to actually build the wild-looking airplane, but it does hope the craft will get young people thinking about the [future of flight](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/perlan-2-glider-record-airbus>).

"Our 'Bird of Prey' is designed to be an inspiration to young people and create a 'wow' factor that will help them consider an exciting career in the crucially-important aerospace sector,” Martin Aston, a senior manager at Airbus, said in the press release, later adding, "Who can’t help but be inspired by such a creation?"

**READ MORE:** [Airbus' Bird of Prey aircraft concept features feather-tipped wings](<https://www.dezeen.com/2019/07/22/airbus-bird-of-prey-feather-wings-design/>) \[*Dezeen*\]

**More on Airbus:** *[This Is the Weirdest Aircraft You’ve Ever Seen, and It Just Broke an Important Record](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/perlan-2-glider-record-airbus>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)