Florida, United States: NASA has unveiled its newest experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, a crewed research platform designed to advance flight-control technology and test emerging aviation systems. The aircraft was announced on 4 November 2026 during the UP.Summit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The X-70 is designed as a high-performance, adaptable research platform featuring advanced, rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology. NASA intends to use it to investigate aircraft manoeuvrability in ways not previously demonstrated in crewed flight. The aircraft can accommodate up to 2,000 pounds of experimental payloads in both internal and external locations, supporting different research configurations and flight-testing activities.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, “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.” He added that its modular design and ability to rapidly exchange internal and external payloads would enable research teams to move quickly between experiments.
NASA expects the aircraft to make its first flight under the agency’s banner within the next two years. Isaacman described the X-70 as part of a broader new beginning for aeronautics, adding, “This is why people come to NASA: to build, to learn, and most importantly, to fly.”
The X-70 Fractal has a takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds and is designed to cruise at Mach 0.75, reach altitudes of up to 45,000 feet and achieve an operational range exceeding approximately 1,726 miles (1,500 nautical miles). NASA said these capabilities would allow it to conduct demanding flight research across a broad range of operating conditions.
Laurie Grindle, director of the Aeronautics Division within NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate, said, “For decades, NASA Aeronautics has used X-planes to develop technologies that advance aviation.” She added, “It’s exciting to bring on another X-plane to accelerate and drive aeronautics research.”
The X-70 joins NASA’s long-running experimental aircraft programme, which includes the Bell X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in 1947, the X-15 hypersonic research aircraft and the X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator.
NASA said the new aircraft would expand its experimental flight-research capabilities, accelerate the testing of emerging technologies and support the development of the next generation of American aviation.
