NASA unveiled the crewed X-70 Fractal experimental aircraft at the UP.Summit at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 4 November. NASA Aeronautics will use the reconfigurable platform to test flight controls, manoeuvrability and other aviation technologies in flight. Designed to carry up to 2,000 pounds of experimental equipment, the aircraft has a stated takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds and is expected to make its first flight under NASA’s banner within two years.
The X-70 is designed to cruise at Mach 0.75, reach 45,000 feet and fly more than 1,500 nautical miles. Its modular configuration is intended to allow research teams to exchange internal and external payloads between experiments. NASA has not specified which technologies will be tested first.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the aircraft as a platform for research into advanced flight-control systems and manoeuvrability in crewed flight. The agency places the X-70 within its X-plane research lineage, which includes the X-1, X-15 and X-59. NASA’s release did not identify the aircraft’s builder or disclose its cost. The image accompanying the release was generated and does not confirm the final aircraft configuration.