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NASA Announces X-70 Experimental Aircraft to Advance Flight Research (nasa.gov) 37

Posted by BeauHD from the flying-laboratory dept.
NASA has unveiled the X-70 Fractal, a new crewed experimental aircraft "designed to accelerate the development and testing of advanced aviation technologies." From a press release: 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 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 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). These capabilities will enable NASA to conduct demanding flight research across a broad range of operating conditions.

The X-70 joins a storied legacy of experimental aircraft that have helped establish America's leadership in aviation. From the Bell X-1, which first broke the sound barrier in 1947, to the X-15 hypersonic research aircraft and today's X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator, NASA has spent decades pushing the boundaries of flight. With the X-70, NASA will expand its capacity to conduct experimental flight research, accelerate the testing of emerging technologies, and advance the next generation of American aviation.

NASA Announces X-70 Experimental Aircraft to Advance Flight Research More | Reply

NASA Announces X-70 Experimental Aircraft to Advance Flight Research

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  • "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). "

    Sounds like a learjet except slower. As for re configurable flight control tech, what does that even mean? Does it mean the flight controls can change action (why would you do this, pilots need muscle memory, they don't want to have to think which lever does what) or does it mean the flight surfaces can someh

    • Re:Pretty lame specs (Score:4, Interesting)

      by sabbede ( 2678435 ) on Thursday November 05, 2026 @08:59AM (#66411335)
      Looks like the latter. "Active aeroelastic wings" and flow control are two things I've seen mentioned.
    • I agree (lame specs) they should have made a scaled down model of the SR71 Blackbird .75 or.50 (small as possible) and remote controlled for recognizance

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dbialac ( 320955 )
      Commercial pilots don't really do much these days. They're there primarily for emergency situations. Most functions are handled by autopilot. It's also why stats on plane crashes are very misleading; the plane was on autopilot, then the pilot had to step in to handle the emergency. Note also that military aircraft can't be flown without help from computers, even if guided by the pilot. They're otherwise unstable.

      • Most military planes aren't unstable.

        A Gripon, Taifun or Raphael or an F15 Eagle etc. flights just fine without any computer doing "stuff behind the scene".

        Unstable are some planes that are optimized for stealth, or other reasons. Even an A10 flies just straight if everything is switched off and the pilot releases the stick.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dbialac ( 320955 )
          Allow me to clarify my statement; fighter jets. Later F15 fighters, all F16s (I think now retired) and newer fighter aircraft use computer systems to stabilize the aircraft so they can maneuver better, especially when making sharp turns. They're a 4-CPU setup, so that if one CPU goes haywire, the other 3 can override the fourth and maintain stability. Fly by wire does exist in older F15s.

          • Yeah, the F16 prototypes have a funny bug. Actually a double bug, as the bug itself already made no sense.
            It was luckily discovered in the flight simulator, which is impressive, that they "modeled" that thing so accurate that it ran the original plane software.

            When the plane crossed the equator, it turned upside down. And the pilot could not revert it, as "upside down flying" is forbidden by the software.

            The bug happened because the normal vector of the planes orientation pointed into the wrong direction on

    • "reconfigurable" - the aircraft uses a couple of memory seats out of a late models Chevy.

    • The most likely interpretation of "reconfigurable flight controls" is that the aircraft can be made to handle like other aircraft through the fly-by-wire control system, so you can see how other aircraft would handle specific situations from the cockpit.

      Its been done a few times - there was a Gulfstream II which was designed to handle like the Space Shuttle for training purposes.

  • Look at that photo, it's straight out of the MIC style guide, and the article makes sure to mention it can carry interior and exterior payloads.

  • Unveiled (Score:5, Informative)

    by necro81 ( 917438 ) on Thursday November 05, 2026 @08:09AM (#66411283) Journal
    The press release has a single image of a dark v-tailed airplane, on a dark background, with swirling mist around it. In the corner it has a prominent "Generated Content" label, which I assume means AI-generated.

    The content of the press release is listing of specifications and proposed uses (and 3 paragraphs on the storied history of x-planes). It doesn't say who's actually building it, when we'll actually see it in reality, when it'll start flight testing - nothing.

    NASA calls that an "unveiling" - I don't think that word means what NASA thinks it means. This is an announcement, with nothing to actually show, just concepts of plans for something in the future. Sounds a lot like vaporware - more like VC-oriented crap coming out of Silicon Valley with $10bn valuations, a slide deck, some fancy graphics, and no actual product.
    • Agreed, this is more a tease than anything, I'm so tired of this clickbait culture.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Almost like NASA has been hamstrung due to budget cuts and headed by a guy who received the job after paying $1 million to a MAGA slush fund. https://www.reuters.com/world/... [reuters.com]

    • Last I checked, unveiling meant removing a cover to reveal what was concealed. So... where's the revelation? If it was unveiled, that means we can now see it. So let's frikkin see it!

      Yet if you search for the X-70, you get a lot of pics of X-59s and whatnot.

      • X-59s? You're lucky. I get cars.

        If I search on "x-70 fractal", I do get a mix of older x-planes and the AI generated blob from the article that some site has reposted.

      • Decades ago, they would have "unveiled" a physical scale model or drawings to illustrate the concept. Nowadays, it's an AI rendering. In both cases, something unshown is subsequently shown. In neither case would something necessarily be under a literal veil beforehand.

        Look, the reveal may be quite short on details, but it's still an "unveiling."

    • Re:Unveiled (Score:4, Insightful)

      by argStyopa ( 232550 ) on Thursday November 05, 2026 @10:56AM (#66411491) Journal

      Agreed.
      Even if this was an actual unveiling, all it would mean is that
      - the DoD has been flying this for at least 15 years
      - they're confident that by this time the Chinese, Russians, and pretty much anyone interested has already stolen anything of value from the program
      - they've moved on internally to whatever is the next-generation, so might as well leave this out there for people to think they've got the most recent stuff. ...I mean, this is assuming the US gov't is competent at this shit which it hasn't persuasively been for at least 15-20yrs.

      • Oh, yeah... they're been tinkering and testing it for 15-20 years, maybe it already saw active service.
        By the time we get the real info and pics, it's already retired from service.

  • Surely an experimental test aircraft in 2026 should be flown by AI ?

    Although, given their suppliers' prices, maybe VRAM is too expensive for NASA at the moment...

  • I found a leaked 3d model of the prototype:

    https://cults3d.com/en/3d-mode... [cults3d.com]

    I can also confirm that it is piloted by AI.

  • None of the specifications seem to be useful for the advancement of science. Honestly, this seems more like a Skunk Works project.

  • No it didn't (Score:3)

    by paul_engr ( 6280294 ) on Friday November 06, 2026 @04:22AM (#66412708)
    "generated content" means it's fucking made up bullshit. Can that administrator guy and bring back actual patriotic public servants who will actially do shit other than parasite nasa until it's dead and sold for parts

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