WORLDTECHNASA Announces X-70 Experimental Aircraft to Advance Flight Research
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File:HQ-90 aircraft arrived and assembled at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC2020-0108-24).jpg / NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center / NASA/Ken Ulbrich / This image or video was catalogued by Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: AFRC2020-0108-24 . / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HQ-90_aircraft_arrived_and_assembled_at_NASA%27s_Armstrong_Flight_Research_Center_(AFRC2020-0108-24).jpgSource page.jpg){kind=link}
What happened
On Wednesday, NASA unveiled its newest experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, during the UP.Summit at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crewed X-70 features advanced, rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology that will allow NASA to explore aircraft maneuverability in ways never before demonstrated in crewed flight.
The X-70 joins a storied legacy of experimental aircraft that have helped establish America’s leadership in aviation.
This high-performance, highly adaptable research platform is designed to accelerate the development and testing of advanced aviation technologies. Generated image of NASA’s new X-70 Fractal experimental aircraft, a crewed, rapidly reconfigurable research platform for advanced aviation technologies.
The aircraft can also accommodate up to 2,000 pounds of experimental payloads in internal and external locations, enabling a wide range of research and flight-testing opportunities. “The X-70 Fractal gives NASA a crewed, high-performance platform to test advanced flight-control, maneuverability, and other cutting-edge technologies in real flight,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
The X-70 Fractal has a takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds and 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). “For decades, NASA Aeronautics has used X-planes to develop technologies that advance aviation,” said Laurie Grindle, director of the Aeronautics Division within NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate.