NASA Unveils X-70 Fractal Experimental Aircraft

NASA announced the X-70 Fractal on November 4, introducing a planned crewed aircraft for research into flight control, maneuverability and other aviation technologies. The agency released an AI-generated image showing the aircraft partly obscured by smoke, but has not revealed a detailed view of its final design.

The plane is expected to cruise at Mach 0.75 and reach altitudes of up to 45,000 feet. NASA says its range will exceed 1,726 miles and it will carry as much as 2,000 pounds of research equipment, either inside or attached to the aircraft. Its flight-control system is designed to be rapidly reconfigured, while its modular setup will let teams change payloads between experiments.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the aircraft would give the agency a platform to test advanced systems in flight. NASA forecasts an inaugural X-70 flight within the next two years. The aircraft joins the agency’s experimental X-plane program, which includes the X-59, a demonstrator designed to reduce the sound of sonic booms during supersonic flight.