An experimental X-plane, designated X-65, aims to demonstrate the benefits of active flow control at full scale and in tactically relevant flight conditions.
Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, has begun manufacturing work on a new X-plane for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) programme. This latest phase follows the successful completion of the critical design review (CDR) for the experimental aircraft, designated X-65.
X-65 is purpose-designed for testing and demonstrating active flow control (AFC) for multiple effects, including flight control at tactical speeds and performance enhancement across the flight envelope. The AFC system supplies pressurised air to 14 AFC effectors embedded across all flying surfaces, including multiple wing sweeps. The aircraft is configured to be modular, featuring replaceable outboard wings and swappable AFC effectors, which allows for future testing of additional AFC designs.
Active flow control technology has the potential to replace traditional flaps and rudders, which are used to manoeuvre most aircraft today. AFC may deliver benefits in areas such as aerodynamics, weight, and mechanical complexity. X-65 is designed to demonstrate the benefits of AFC for both commercial and military applications.
Component tooling and part fabrication for the 30ft wingspan, uncrewed X-plane are now underway at Aurora facilities in West Virginia and Mississippi. Plans include building the airframe at Aurora West Virginia, followed by system integration and ground testing at Aurora’s headquarters in Manassas, Virginia.
“As we move into the manufacturing phase, we are getting ever closer to fulfilling the goal of validating AFC technology and helping to open the design trade space for future applications,” said Kevin Uleck, CRANE programme director at Aurora Flight Sciences. “X-65 has the potential to change the future of aircraft design. Aurora is honored to support DARPA on this groundbreaking program.”
The manufacturing phase of the programme follows three years of work, across Aurora and Boeing, in design conceptualisation, preliminary and detailed design, wind tunnel testing, AFC system testing, and more.
The programme would culminate in flight tests of the full-scale, 7000lb X-65 aircraft at speeds up to Mach 0.7. Flight testing is targeted for summer 2025.
