NASA has announced a new experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, which will reportedly feature reconfigurable flight control technology and a modular design to swap out different payloads. But much remains unknown about the plane’s design and development schedule, even as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the X-plane could take off within two years.
The mystery surrounding NASA’s newest X plane was exemplified by the agency’s press release, which includes an apparently AI-generated image of the The news was announced by Isaacman during the UP.Summit held at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 4.
“The X-70 Fractal provides NASA with a high-performance manned platform to test advanced flight control, maneuverability and other cutting-edge technologies in real flight,” Isaacman said. “Its modular design and ability to quickly swap internal and external payloads will keep our teams flying, learning and moving quickly from experiment to experiment.”
NASA’s press release described the The article does not mention any specific aircraft manufacturer that could be helping the agency develop the X-plane.
The X-70 would also have a takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) and a design able to accommodate up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) of experimental payloads both internally and externally. Ars has contacted NASA for more details.
The return of the blackbird?
Another X aircraft is also expected to be announced at the UP.Summit on November 6, according to Aviation Week. That would coincide with a scheduled announcement by President Donald Trump at the event.
