NASA announces experimental X-70 Fractal aircraft: A 'new beginning for aeronautics'

NASA has unveiled an image of its next experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, during a press release on November 4. This new X-plane is described as a highly maneuverable test bed with rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology, allowing NASA to swap its components easily. The agency's statement highlighted that the X-70 Fractal will give NASA a crewed, high-performance platform to test advanced flight-control and maneuverability technologies in real flight.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the X-70 Fractal "just one part of this new beginning for aeronautics" and announced that the aircraft will make its first flight within two years.

The X-70 Fractal will cruise at Mach 0.75, fly up to 45,000 feet, and have a range exceeding 1,726 miles. It will carry around 2,000 pounds of experimental payloads internally and externally, enabling various research and flight-testing opportunities. The aircraft will weigh 10,000 pounds, similar to the Model 437 Vanguard experimental aircraft. The X-70 Fractal's tail fins resemble those of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor or Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, although the final form of the aircraft remains uncertain.

NASA's X-70 Fractal joins other experimental aircraft projects, such as Boom Supersonic's X-1 and Boeing's F-47, which both aim to develop technologies to reduce the impact of sonic booms.