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Aurora Begins Wing Work on X-65 Drone After Two-Year Delay
Aurora Flight Sciences has started mounting wings on the X-65 experimental drone at its Virginia site. The aircraft is part of DARPA's CRANE program testing active flow control. First flight is now set for 2027 after earlier delays.
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Aurora Flight Sciences has begun installing the wings on the X-65 experimental drone. The wings arrived from the company's West Virginia facility and integration work is now underway in Virginia. The X-65 is an experimental uncrewed aircraft developed under DARPA's Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors program.
Fourteen active flow control effectors embedded in the lifting surfaces use jets of high-pressure air to manage roll, pitch, and yaw. The design also retains conventional moving surfaces. Dr. Richard Wlezien said in 2024 that the conventional surfaces serve as training wheels to help researchers understand how active flow control can replace traditional flaps and rudders.
Sensors will compare performance between the two systems. The aircraft features a co-planar joined wing configuration with triangular sections on each side that merge at the tips and small extensions for a total wingspan of 30 feet. Gross weight is approximately 7,000 pounds.
DARPA launched the CRANE program in 2020. Original plans called for flight in 2025, but those targets slipped after higher prototype costs and supply chain issues. Pentagon funding for the program since fiscal year 2024 has reached nearly $63 million.
