DARPA X-plane with revolutionary controls hits new milestone
The demonstrator aircraft is expected to have modular wing configurations that enable future integration of new technologies for flight testing. (Photo: Aurora Flight Sciences)
The CRANE project exploring active-flow control technologies could contribute to developing extremely low-observable aircraft in the future.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing subsidiary, to move into Phase 2, the detailed design phase of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) programme.
At the project’s heart, there is an experimental aircraft without traditional moving surfaces to control it in flight, instead using active-flow control (AFC) – short bursts of air.
‘Over the past several decades, the active-flow control community has made significant advancements that enable the integration of active-flow control technologies into advanced aircraft,’ CRANE programme manager Richard Wlezien said in a statement.
‘We are confident about
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