NASA unveils X-70 Fractal experimental aircraft

NASA said it unveiled its newest experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, during the UP.Summit at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft is a high-performance, highly adaptable research platform designed to accelerate the development and testing of advanced aviation technologies.

The crewed X-70 has advanced, rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology. NASA said it will use the aircraft to explore aircraft maneuverability in ways never before demonstrated in crewed flight. The platform supports research and flight-testing opportunities involving advanced aviation technologies.

The X-70 can accommodate up to 2,000 pounds of experimental payloads in internal and external locations. Its modular design allows teams to swap internal and external payloads and move from one experiment to the next, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said.

Isaacman said NASA expects the aircraft’s first flight under the NASA banner within the next two years. The X-70 is part of the agency’s work to test flight control, maneuverability and other technologies in real flight and expand experimental flight research.

The X-70 Fractal has a takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds. It is designed to cruise at Mach .75, reach altitudes of up to 45,000 feet, and provide an operational range exceeding about 1,726 miles (1,500 nautical miles). NASA said these capabilities will support demanding flight research across a broad range of operating conditions.

Laurie Grindle, director of the Aeronautics Division within NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate, said the X-70 will accelerate aeronautics research. The aircraft joins NASA’s X-plane program, which has included the Bell X-1, the X-15 hypersonic research aircraft and the X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator.