NASA’s new experimental X-70 plane will be used to test next-gen aviation technologies

NASA has announced the X-70 Fractal, a new crewed experimental aircraft intended to test emerging aviation technologies in flight. It will give researchers a flexible platform to study advanced flight controls and manoeuvrability, building on NASA’s history of experimental X-series aircraft.

The X-70 is expected to cruise at Mach 0.75 and fly as high as 45,000 feet, with an operational range of about 1,726 miles. It can carry up to 2,000 pounds of experimental equipment inside or outside the aircraft, and its payloads and flight-control systems are designed to be rapidly reconfigured. NASA expects its first flight under the agency within two years; so far, it has released only an AI-generated image.