The new X-plane is intended as a supermaneuverable aircraft, allowing the US space agency to collect aerodynamic data on high-speed maneuverability.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has unveiled its latest “X-plane”—the experimental plane that will serve as a highly maneuverable test bed for the space agency.

The manned X-70 Fractal was officially introduced at the “UP.Summit” at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. NASA developed the high-performance research aircraft to accelerate its development and subsequent testing of new aviation platforms and emerging technology.

An AI-generated rendering of the Fractal showed an aircraft with two canted vertical tail fins emerging from a cloud of gray smoke—giving a few details about what the final X-70 could resemble. Online reports compared the twin fins to the set of the F-22 Raptor and F/A-18 Super Hornet, both of which also have a twin-finned design. The Fractal X-plane is different in that sense from the still-in-development sixth-generation F-47 stealth fighter now being developed by Boeing, as that aircraft features a tailless, blended-wing design. (However, the messaging style was similar for both planes; as NASA did with the Fractal, the US Air Force released a picture of the F-47 in which its more significant attributes were effectively covered by clouds, giving observers few hints at the plane’s specifications.)

Here’s What We Know About the X-70 Fractal (So Far)

Details on the aircraft are still sparse, but NASA confirmed that it would have:

• A takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds (4,535.9 kg); 
• A cruise speed of around Mach 0.75 (575 mph, 926.1 km/h);
• A service ceiling of 45,000 ft (13,700 m); and
• A range exceeding 1,500 nautical miles (1,726 miles, 2777.72 km).

The X-70s capabilities are to provide NASA with a platform that can undertake a variety of “demanding” flight research roles in a variety of conditions.

“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. “It’s exciting to bring on another X-plane to accelerate and drive aeronautics research.” 

According to NASA, the X-70 research aircraft will incorporate advanced and “rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology,” which could allow the space agency to conduct aircraft maneuverability tests “in ways never before demonstrated in crewed flight.” The Fractal was designed to carry more than 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of experimental payloads, including both internally and at external locations. That will enable a wider range of research and flight-testing options for engineers.

“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. “Its modular design and ability to rapidly swap internal and external payloads will keep our teams flying, learning, and moving quickly from one experiment to the next. We expect her first flight under the NASA banner within the next two years, and X-70 is just one part of this new beginning for aeronautics. This is why people come to NASA: to build, to learn, and most importantly, to fly.”

X-Plane It: From the Bell X-1 to the X-70

The X-70 Fractal is the latest in a series of X-planes built by the United States to push the envelope on flight testing.

The first, and arguably most famous, of the aircraft was the X-1, designed and built by Bell for the purpose of breaking the sound barrier—a goal that was accomplished by test pilot Chuck Yeager on October 14, 1947. The X-1’s fuselage was famously modeled after a .50 caliber bullet, one of the only objects known to remain stable in supersonic flight at the time.

Other notable X-planes include the X-4 Bantam, a semi-tailless aircraft that drew inspiration from Germany’s Me 163 Komet to test how tailless aircraft handled dangerous transonic speeds, and the North American X-15, the world’s first hypersonic aircraft, which launched from a B-52 mothership to collect critical hypersonic data utilized by the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.

A more recent X-plane program has been the X-59 “Quesst,” which made its maiden flight last year and has since completed an additional 40 flights. The testbed aircraft is built with a long, pencil-thin nose designed to shape shockwaves and reduce a traditional, loud sonic boom into a quiet “sonic thump.” The X-59 recently flew across the country from Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California, to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, where it conducted further test flights and transitioned to the next phase of testing: acoustic validation, which will focus on analyzing the sounds the X-59 makes.

“NASA has spent decades pushing the boundaries of flight,” the space agency wrote. “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.”

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. He has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism, including Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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