Overview
- Aurora Flight Sciences received and mated the X-65’s triangular, modular wings to the fuselage, with the components reported arriving June 23 and system integration now underway at the company’s Virginia facility.
- The X-65 uses active flow control: a system that feeds pressurized air to fourteen embedded effectors to steer the aircraft without moving flaps, rudders or ailerons by altering airflow over the surfaces.
- The demonstrator is purpose-built at operational scale with a 9.1 m wingspan, roughly 3,175 kg gross weight and a design speed up to Mach 0.7, and its modular outboard wing sections allow testing of multiple sweep angles and effector layouts.
- DARPA picked Aurora as sole contractor in January 2024 and the program moved to a co-investment model with Aurora in August 2025; the effort has seen higher prototype costs, supply-chain delays and schedule slips from an original 2025 flight date.
- Ground testing is scheduled for late 2026 at Aurora’s Manassas facility and a first flight is targeted for 2027, outcomes that agencies including AFRL, NASA, NAVAIR and ONR are watching because AFC could lower maintenance and radar signature for future aircraft.