Airbus is predicting a 'gloves-off' competition to build the next generation of planes. This is the tech it's planning.

Airbus unveiled early sketches of a future aircraft with open-fan engines.

Courtesy of Airbus

• Airbus engineers shared plans for its next aircraft, planned for the second half of next decade.
• They're aiming to increase fuel efficiency — reducing emissions and making operations cheaper.
• Innovations include open-fan engines, folding wings, and automatic taxiing.

While Airbus has pushed back plans for a hydrogen-powered plane, it plans to build a high-tech plane...