DARPA Works With Aurora Flight Sciences on Phase 2 of X-Plane Development

Planned test aircraft will replace moving control surfaces active flow system.

Jonathan Welsh

Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at 04:56 PM ET

Verified

DARPA's latest X-plane project uses active flow control instead of moveable control surfaces. [Courtesy: DARPA]

Key Takeaways:

DARPA has chosen Aurora Flight Sciences for the next phase of its CRANE project, aimed at developing aircraft that can fly without traditional moveable control surfaces.
The project utilizes Active Flow Control (AFC), a technology that manipulates aerodynamic flow using methods like suction or air jets to generate necessary control forces for maneuvering.
AFC promises advantages such as more efficient maneuvering with less drag, and the ability to fly at lower speeds and higher angles of attack than conventional aircraft.

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The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) said it chose Aurora Flight Sciences to begin the next phase in development of an aircraft that can fly without using moveable control surfaces.

The project, which DARPA calls CRANE, for Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors, is aimed at using active flow control, or AFC, to generate the control forces necessary for maneuvering. The latest announcement regarding Aurora Flight Sciences follows completion of Phase 1, which included development of a test aircraft that demonstrated AFC in a wind tunnel.