Future military cargo jet to have composite structure

USA Today (3/21, Welch) reports that the new Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA), being built by Lockheed Martin, will be "the first military cargo jet in which the craft's structure will be made of fibers, resins and epoxy, replacing metals such as aluminum and titanium that have been in use in aircraft for decades." The program is working to get a test aircraft airborne "by October,...just 18 months after the concept took shape, a record time for the military." USA Today explains that, while "non-metal parts have been used in commercial and military aircrafts for more than a decade," the ACCA "will be the first military transport to incorporate the latest fiber technologies and production methods in the airframe itself," and, as a result, is expected to save "20 to 30 percent in weight" that "will translate to similar savings in fuel."