Friday, January 5, 2024

Aurora green-lighted for X-65

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has given Aurora Flight Sciences the green light to build a full-scale model of the X-65 - an experimental unmanned aircraft designed to be able to fly without flaps, rudders or other exterior-moving parts. 

Aurora announced Jan. 3 it has successfully completed the critical design review and begun fabricating the drone, part of DARPA’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program aimed at proving and maturing active flow control (AFC) technology. 

The Virginia-based company and the Pentagon agency are looking to conduct the first flight of the X-plane in the summer of 2025. (Defense Scoop 01/04/24) Aurora Flight Sciences begins manufacturing X-65 drone for DARPA | DefenseScoop

Regional NoteAurora Flight Sciences is a company that specializes in designing, building, and flying advanced aircraft and enabling technologiesThey have a manufacturing facility in Columbus, Miss.where they focus on producing composite components to enhance operational survivability for aerial refueling and mobility missionsThe facility has over 120,000 square feet of space and uses automated fiber placement technology for advanced manufacturing.

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