The Pentagon will fund two phases of development of the X-Plane super maneuverable aircraft with new principles of flight control

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced that it will fund two phases of development of an experimental aircraft by Aurora Flight Sciences.

Here's What We Know

We're talking about the super maneuverable X-Plane aircraft, which was announced in the fall of 2020. Aurora Flight Sciences will be able to conduct detailed engineering and design work to create a full-scale version of the X-Plane as part of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program. This will take place in Phase 2, with Boeing testing the aircraft in Phase 3.

In Phase 0, Aurora Flight Sciences presented the design and created two aircraft concepts. This was followed by design work and wind tunnel testing of the aircraft.

The X-Plane features a design that uses active streamline control technology. It is expected that this will allow the aircraft of the future to increase the level of maneuverability. The company claims that the aircraft can maneuver without the help of moving control planes.

It is expected that Boeing will be able to test in 2025. As part of the tests the X-Plane will reach speeds up to Mach 0.7 (865 km/h).

Source: Aurora Flight Sciences