NASA teases development of new ‘X-70 Fractal’ experimental aircraft

Details remain sparse but NASA says the aircraft will be used to test flight control and other ‘cutting-edge technologies’.
NASA is developing a new experimental aircraft called the X-70 Fractal for the purpose of testing yet-undisclosed aviation technologies, with first flight targeted within two years.

Agency administrator Jared Isaacman disclosed the development programme on 4 November, saying the aircraft will provide “NASA a crewed high-performance platform to test advanced flight-control, manoeuvrability and other cutting-edge technologies in real flight”.

NASA says the X-70 will have “advanced, rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology that will allow NASA to explore aircraft manoeuvrability in ways never before demonstrated in crewed flight”.

The aircraft will have a 4,536kg (10,000lb) take-off weight, cruise at Mach 0.75, fly as high as 45,000ft and have range exceeding 1,726nm (3,300km) – “capabilities that will enable NASA to conduct demanding flight research”, the agency says.

It will be able to carry about 900kg of “experimental payloads in internal and external locations, enabling a wide range of research and flight-testing opportunities”, NASA adds.

“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,” says Isaacman, who revealed the programme during the Up.Summit technology innovation event in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“Its modular design and ability to rapidly swap internal and external payloads will keep our teams flying, learning, and moving quickly from one experiment to the next,” he adds.

Isaacman made his remarks flanked by a banner reading “X-59 is just the start,” a reference to NASA’s quiet supersonic demonstrator aircraft, which was developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. The X-59 completed its first supersonic sortie in June.

NASA did not disclose further details about the forthcoming X-70 or technologies it is developing for that jet to test. The agency does not say if any partners are involved and does not respond to a request for comment.

The post NASA teases development of new ‘X-70 Fractal’ experimental aircraft first appeared on FlightGlobal.

Source: www.flightglobal.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.