NASA has unveiled the X-70 Fractal, a crewed experimental aircraft designed to test advanced flight controls and manoeuvrability in real-world flight. Announced by Administrator Jared Isaacman at the UP.Summit at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, the aircraft is expected to make its first flight under the NASA banner within two years. Its modular design can accommodate up to 2,000 pounds of internal and external research payloads.
Rapidly reconfigurable flight controls are intended to let NASA investigate manoeuvres not previously demonstrated in crewed flight. The agency plans to use the aircraft to test emerging aviation technologies and move between experiments by changing its payload configuration.
NASA lists a take-off weight of 10,000 pounds, a planned cruise speed of Mach 0.75, an altitude capability of up to 45,000 feet and a range of 1,500 nautical miles. These are design specifications, not flight-test results.
The X-70 joins NASA’s experimental-aircraft research portfolio, which includes the X-1, X-15 and X-59. NASA Aeronautics director Laurie Grindle also commented on the programme. The agency has not identified a contractor or provided further details about development or testing beyond the expected first-flight window.