The TWZ Newsletter Weekly information and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy and foreign policy. NASA has just unveiled its latest The aircraft is described as manned and features rapidly reconfigurable flight control capabilities. According to NASA’s statement, it “will explore the aircraft’s maneuverability in ways never before demonstrated in human flight. The aircraft can also accommodate up to 2,000 pounds of experimental payloads at internal and external locations, enabling a wide range of research and flight test opportunities.” The statement reads: “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,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Its modular design and ability to quickly swap internal and external payloads will keep our teams flying, learning and moving quickly from one experiment to the next. We expect its first flight under the NASA banner within the next two years, and the X-70 is just one part of this new beginning for aeronautics. This is why people come to NASA: to build, learn and, most importantly, fly.” Additional details were provided about Fractal, such as that it has a takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds, a ceiling of 45,000 feet, and a cruise speed of Mach 0t.75. Its range will be around 1,500 nautical miles. This will allow you to fly in a wide spectrum of conditions and for longer distances and durations. Described as “generated content,” the image provided remains intriguing. It shows an airplane with extended tails, a bubble cover and fighter-type wings. The concept image is just that, an impression of what it will look like, with much of it shrouded in clouds. It has superficial similarities to other experimental testbed aircraft of late, especially those from Scaled Composites, particularly the Beacon testbed aircraft. That aircraft is also a flexible “open architecture”-oriented platform, but it has more to do with testing autonomy packages and drone-related technologies. This new aircraft focuses on flight controls and appears to be able to accommodate exotic capabilities in this regard. Thrust vectoring and lift fan capabilities could also be part of the X-70’s modular potential. There are also concepts like transforming wings and air-burst flight controls that would allow planes to maneuver without traditional moving surfaces. These are at the “cutting edge” of technology and this type of aircraft could potentially help them advance. Isaacman, who flies a private MiG-29 and owns a contractor aggressor squadron, has made advancing aeronautics through new X-planes one of the agency’s top priorities. The statement also states that it will fly “under the NASA flag” in two years. This likely means that once the agency takes delivery from the manufacturer or it is possible that this asset will be removed from the classified scope and transferred to NASA. It’s unclear who is building or built Fractal at this time, but we’re sure we’ll find out more at NASA’s Max Power air show taking place at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy this weekend. This is a developing story, we will update this post in the coming hours as we learn more. Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com
