NASA has announced a new experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, that will supposedly feature reconfigurable flight-control technology and a modular design for swapping in different payloads. But much remains unknown about the aircraft’s design and development timeline, even as NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said the X-plane could take flight within two years.
The mystery surrounding NASA’s newest X-plane was exemplified by the agency’s press release, which included an apparently AI-generated image of the X-70 showing a dark silhouette vaguely resembling a military fighter jet obscured by smoke. The news was announced by Isaacman during the UP.Summit held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 4.
“The X-70 Fractal gives NASA a crewed, high-performance platform to test advanced flight-control, maneuverability, and other cutting-edge technologies in real flight,” Isaacman said. “Its modular design and ability to rapidly swap internal and external payloads will keep our teams flying, learning, and moving quickly from one experiment to the next.”
NASA’s press release described the X-70 as a crewed aircraft designed to cruise at Mach 0.75 while reaching a maximum altitude of up to 45,000 feet, with an operational range beyond 1,726 miles (2,778 kilometers). No specific aircraft manufacturer was mentioned as a development partner.
The X-70 would have a takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) and a design capable of accommodating up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) of experimental payloads, both internally and externally. Ars Technica has reached out to NASA for more details.
Return of the Blackbird?
According to Aviation Week, another X-plane announcement was also expected at the UP.Summit on November 6, coinciding with a scheduled appearance by President Donald Trump at the event.
