AURORA.AERO Nasa has granted £2.19m to bring the 'double bubble' to life

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The experimental X-planes were tested out by the American aeronaut agency back in the 1940s and they’re set to make a comeback. One of the models is a twin-hull plane called the ‘double bubble’ D8 and fast enough to break the sound barrier. Aurora Flight Sciences teamed up with MIT researchers to develop the futuristic plane in 2008. Nasa has finally granted £2.19million to bring one of the models to life.

AURORA.AERO The D8 is a joint project between MIT and Aurora Flight Sciences

The Virginia-based developers are confident the radical new design will be a fully fledged flight service by 2027. Fuel efficiency will be increased more than 50 per cent on the new planes compared to the best-in-class aircraft currently available. To put that in perspective, the D8 would use 2,095 gallons of fuel less than the most efficient planes in the air at the moment, on a flight from LA to New York (2,475 miles). The model was inspired by the Boeing 707 from 1958, which opened the door to world travel in the space of a day.

AURORA.AERO The futuristic plane will feature twin hulls and will break the sound barrier

NASA space station Mon, July 18, 2016 NASA space station. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 35 American geologist and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Hagan Schmitt stands next to the US flag on the surface of the moon, December 1972

Set to fly 180 passengers at speeds of 582mph, the D8 can cover an impressive 3,500 miles. Fuel burn could be reduced by more than 70 per cent, with noise and emissions lowered by almost 90 per cent. Aurora is aiming to develop the 1:2 scale demonstrator X-plane over the next three years. Michael Rogers from Nasa's Ames Research Centre said the efficiency is derived from the plane’s wings.

AURORA.AERO The developers believe the new plane will be in service by 2027