NASA UNVEILS X-70 FRACTAL EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT

NASA unveiled the X-70 Fractal experimental aircraft at the UP.Summit at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on 4 November. The agency said the crewed aircraft would provide a platform for testing advanced aviation technologies in flight. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said: “We expect her first flight under the NASA banner within the next two years, and X-70 is just one part of this new beginning for aeronautics.” NASA did not identify an aircraft manufacturer involved in developing the X-70 in its announcement.

NASA said the aircraft’s modular design would allow research teams to swap experimental payloads between flights. The agency specified capacity for up to 2,000 pounds of equipment in internal and external locations. NASA listed a take-off weight of 10,000 pounds and a planned cruising speed of Mach 0.75. Its stated design specifications also include altitudes of up to 45,000 feet and an operational range exceeding about 1,726 miles.

NASA said rapidly reconfigurable flight controls would allow researchers to explore manoeuvrability capabilities never previously demonstrated in crewed flight. The agency said the aircraft’s operating capabilities would support demanding research across a broad range of conditions. Laurie Grindle, director of the Aeronautics Division within NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate, linked the project to its previous experimental aircraft work. “For decades, NASA Aeronautics has used X-planes to develop technologies that advance aviation,” Grindle said.