The Army is preparing a revolutionary drone, the X65 – La Nouvelle Tribune

The future of flying devices is going to take a revolutionary turn with the development X-65Designed experimental drone Darpa And Aurora Flight Sciences. This ambitious project, part of the CRANE program (Revolutionary aircraft control with novel effects) from DARPA, representing advances in aircraft control technology. The X-65 is notable for its lack of external moving control surfaces, instead using jets of pressurized air to change airflow around the aircraft in flight.

As a reminder, DARPA or theAgency for Advanced Defense Research ProjectsAgency of Department of Defense The United States is responsible for developing new and advanced technologies for military use.

Founded in 1958 in response to the Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik satellite, DARPA has been instrumental in many major technological developments, including the Internet, stealth technology, and satellite navigation systems.

Since the beginning of aviation, moving surfaces such as rudder, flaps, elevators, and ailerons have been essential to control airplanes. The X-65, however, aims to eliminate these elements entirely in favor of control based entirely on jets of pressurized air. This invention could revolutionize aircraft design, providing many improvements in terms of aerodynamics, weight and mechanical complexity. In addition, this technology improves the stealth characteristics of the aircraft.

To minimize risks, the first prototype of the X-65 will have both conventional control surfaces and so-called Active Flow Control (AFC) actuators. The latter, compared to “training cycles” by Richard Wlezien, head of the CRANE program at DARPA, are monitored by sensors to evaluate their performance compared to traditional control mechanisms. This approach provides a better understanding of how AFC can revolutionize the design of future military and commercial aircraft.

NASA and the US military. Capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 0.7, the X-65 promises to immediately deliver flight test results of a real aircraft design.

The X-65's modular design is also a strong point, as it allows the wings and active flow control systems to be replaced and thus provide the opportunity to use it for additional testing after the end of the CRANE program. This flexibility ushered in a more flexible and experimental era in aircraft design.

DARPA and Aurora Flight Sciences plan to complete the X-65 as early as 2025, with first flight planned for the summer of that year. The project represents an important milestone in aeronautical research and development, with the potential to radically change the way aircraft are designed and controlled in the future.