Aurora and DARPA Advance X-65 with Cutting-Edge Airflow Control

Post by : Meena Rani

Aurora Flight Sciences and DARPA are moving forward with the X-65, an experimental aircraft designed to demonstrate Active Flow Control (AFC) technology. AFC replaces traditional control surfaces, such as flaps and rudders, with jets of air to manipulate an aircraft’s pitch, roll, and yaw, offering potential improvements in aerodynamics while reducing weight and mechanical complexity.

In August 2025, Aurora and DARPA finalized an agreement to co-invest in completing the X-65 and achieving its first flight. Under the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program, the project is targeting completion of the fuselage by January 2026.

Aurora has already completed preliminary and critical design review phases and has made significant progress in manufacturing. Components including the fuselage, wing assemblies, and engine diffuser are being produced at Aurora’s Bridgeport, West Virginia facility, while propulsion and AFC system components are in-house and ready for integration.

The X-65 is purpose-built for testing AFC, featuring a 30-foot wingspan and a gross weight of 7,000 pounds. Its system delivers pressurized air to 14 AFC effectors embedded across all flying surfaces. The aircraft’s triangular wing design allows testing across multiple wing sweeps and is modular, with replaceable outboard wings and swappable AFC effectors to accommodate future testing of alternative AFC designs.

Larry Wirsing, Aurora’s VP of Aircraft Development, stated:“We’re excited to continue our longstanding partnership with DARPA to complete the build of the X-65 aircraft and demonstrate the capabilities of active flow control in flight. The X-65 platform will be an enduring flight test asset, and we’re confident that future aircraft designs and research missions will be able to leverage the underlying technologies and flight test data.”

The X-65 is expected to provide valuable insights for the next generation of aircraft design, potentially transforming how aerodynamic control is implemented across both military and civilian aviation.

X-65 aircraft, Aurora Flight Sciences, DARPA, CRANE program