The United States is in the process of constructing the first aircraft to demonstrate a revolutionary new method of flight control that does not rely on external moving parts. The aircraft, expected to fly in 2025, is being built as part of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with New Effectors (CRANE) program, led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Aurora Flight Sciences, a subsidiary of Boeing, has been selected by DARPA to build a full-scale, unmanned X-65 aircraft to showcase the feasibility of using active flow control actuators (AFC) for primary flight control. This development marks a significant departure from the traditional method of using movable external control surfaces for flight control, which has been the norm since the Wright brothers’ first successful flight in 1903.
The AFC technology, which eliminates the need for external moving parts, is expected to reduce weight and complexity while improving aircraft performance. The X-65 will be equipped with both traditional control surfaces such as flaps and rudders, as well as AFC effectors integrated into all lifting surfaces. This design will allow for testing the effectiveness of AFC by selectively blocking moving surfaces during flight tests.
The X-65 aircraft, weighing over three tonnes and with a wingspan of 10 meters, is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 0.7. With its size, weight, and speed comparable to military training aircraft, the flight test results of the X-65 are expected to have immediate relevance to real-world aircraft design, according to DARPA.
The development of this groundbreaking aircraft marks a significant step forward in the field of aviation, and its successful demonstration in 2025 could pave the way for a new era in flight control technology.