Under the watchful eye of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an extraordinary creation has been taking shape – a remarkable aircraft that emerged as the culmination of groundbreaking innovation.
The new unmanned aerial vehicle, designated X-65 after a long line of iconic experimental aircraft, will ditch all traditional control surfaces that had limited aerodynamics for generations. Instead, it will find control from within.
The X-65 will feature active flow control rather than passive exterior-moving controls and redefine aviation with compressed air nozzles to execute maneuvers, subverting long-held tenets of aviation and aerodynamics. The advances expected from this project seem taken out of a science fiction story.
They could usher in a new era of reduced radar cross-sections, increased maneuverability, and unparalleled efficiency in flight. Besides drones, this technology would make fighter aircraft more agile and commercial passenger airliners more environmentally friendly.
By “removing jointed surfaces,” such a design could improve flight and reduce cost and wear and tear, and also theoretically enhance the aircraft’s stealth characteristics.
The X-65 will include “modular wing configurations that enable future integration of advanced technologies for flight testing,” DARPA noted in a January release.
CRANE has been in the works for several years now, and the contract with Aurora Flight Sciences marked the beginning of the program’s Phase 2, which will include the development of flight software and controls and a critical design review of an X-plane demonstrator.
The contract includes an option for a Phase 3, which would involve flying the 7,000-pound X-65.
Sources: YouTube; Air & Space Forces