DARPA Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) - Aurora Flight Sciences X-65A

[TomcatViP]

CRANE will be the first full-scale experimental active flow control airplane and the first to fully integrate AFC into its flight control system.

“Full-scale” was determined by DARPA as a 7,000 lbs (3,175 kg) aircraft with a 30ft (9.1m) wingspan. The wingspan is roughly equivalent to that of an F-16, but the similarity is merely coincidental Wleizen explains.

DARPA sought dimensions that provide room enough for an engine that can propel the AFC X-plane to speeds of up to Mach 0.67 (around 500mph/800km/h) and demonstrate airplane-representative Reynolds numbers – dimensionless quantities that help predict fluid flow patterns in different situations. AFC has been done at model scale Wleizen says, “But it behaves differently at a lower Reynolds number than it does at full scale.”
[...]
“We have tried to conceive a demonstrator that can accommodate all types of active flow control in a diverse range of aircraft planforms and uses for AFC, whether for high-lift, flight control or other objectives,” says Aurora’s government programs lead, Graham Drozeski.

The X-plane will have three levels of configurability. The first arises from its co-planar shape which incorporates different wing sweep angles within one airframe. The forward wing section has a 55˚ sweep, the trailing outer wing has a 30˚ sweep, and the aft empennage-wing has a 20˚ forward-sweep. The design’s vertical tails have yet another sweep angle.

“Those four different flying surfaces all represent different aero elements that we characterized during the tools-design process and we built them into the X plane,” Uleck says.

Is active flow control the next step in flight controls? | Aerospace Testing International

Active Flow Control could become an important tool in the aerospace engineer’s toolbox

www.aerospacetestinginternational.com

 

[X-39]

https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2024-01-03

DARPA has selected Aurora Flight Sciences to build a full-scale X-plane to demonstrate the viability of using active flow control (AFC) actuators for primary flight control. The award is Phase 3 of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program.

The 7,000+ pound, unmanned X-65 will have a 30-foot wingspan and be capable of speeds up to Mach 0.7. Its weight, size, and speed – similar to a military trainer aircraft – make the flight-test results immediately relevant to real world aircraft design.

Aurora Flight Sciences has already started fabricating the X-plane; the X-65 is scheduled to be rolled out in early 2025 with the first flight planned for summer of the same year.

 

[X-39]

 

[Forest Green]

DARPA’s X-65 Test Plane Moves to Manufacturing Phase - Defense Update:

Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, has begun manufacturing work on a new X-65 program for DARPA. The new design employs Active Flow Control (AFC) technology that has the potential to replace traditional flaps and rudders, which are used to maneuver most aircraft today. The aircraft is...

defense-update.com

 

[raptor82]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1744825828272189576

View: https://twitter.com/avweekguy/status/1744825828272189576?s=46&t=5THFve96Abhx7VANdlTzrg

 

[Stargazer]

X-65...?
I'm stuck at X-62 with official designations.

X-63A and X-64A are as-yet unaccounted for... Since then, however, X-66A has been allocated to Boeing for an experimental airliner developed with NASA as part of its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator program, building on the company's SUGAR research program.

 

[TomcatViP]

Some prints from the video above: posted by @X-39 :

 

[TomS]

X-63A and X-64A are as-yet unaccounted for... Since then, however, X-66A has been allocated to Boeing for an experimental airliner developed with NASA as part of its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator program, building on the company's SUGAR research program.

Just to close the loop (announced after this post):

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/x-63a-x-64a.44027/

 

[Hydroman]

Whether hydraulic or pneumatic and in regards to redundancy for an example, hydro has the edge since you do require the additional hydro lines but the hydro servoactuators have the hydro redundancy built into the manifolds. With the pneumatics, you have to potentially double up on the control valves and maybe the ducting/jets. Will be interesting to see what kind of control performance they get though.
If you remember the Sikorsky X-Wing of the 1980's, if you lost the artificial lift from the Coanda Effect on just one of the four blade/wings in the transition phase, you lost the aircraft. That rotor hub held all of the control valves and you would definitely have to double up on those for redundancy.

 

[TomcatViP]

I think an all moving V-tail (I have no idea if that's what we see here) should give them enough redundancy to fly back safely in case of a pneumatic failure.