CRANE program enters a decisive phase with the arrival of the fuselage at the systems integration stage; The demonstrator’s first flight is scheduled for 2027
Aurora Flight Sciences reported that the fuselage of the X-65, an experimental aircraft developed under DARPA’s CRANE program, has been transferred to the final systems integration phase. The step marks an important transition in the project schedule, which aims to make the aircraft’s first flight in 2027.
According to the company, teams in Virginia are already working on installing the electrical, propulsion and active flow control systems, while manufacturing of the wings and tail continues at the Bridgeport unit, in the state of West Virginia.
The X-65 is being developed to demonstrate active flow control technology in flight. The concept proposes replacing traditional control surfaces, such as flaps and rudders, with directed air jets capable of altering the aircraft’s aerodynamic behavior.
In practice, the proposal is to allow the aircraft to perform flight commands and maneuvers without depending on conventional mobile panels. Instead, attitude control is accomplished by manipulating airflow over aircraft surfaces.
According to Aurora, this approach can reduce structural weight, decrease mechanical complexity and improve aerodynamic efficiency. If the tests are successful, the technology could influence the development of future military aircraft, unmanned systems and research platforms.
The company highlighted that the X-65 integrates the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors program, known by the acronym CRANEan initiative by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency aimed at validating active flow control in real flight conditions.
Aurora and DARPA signed a co-investment agreement in August 2025 to complete the aircraft and take it to its first flight. Since then, the program has progressed through design reviews and entered the full-scale manufacturing phase.
The fuselage, wing assemblies and engine diffuser were produced at the company’s Bridgeport facility. With the transfer of the fuselage to Virginia, the project now enters one of the most sensitive and decisive phases before the flight test campaign.
The X-65 was not conceived as an operational aircraft, but as a dedicated technology demonstrator. The model has a wingspan of 30 feet and a gross weight of 7,000 pounds, serving as a specific platform for repeated tests of aerodynamics and control systems.
Its active flow control system uses pressurized air distributed through 14 effectors embedded in the flight surfaces. These air jets are designed to control pitch, roll and yaw without the use of traditional moving surfaces.
The triangular wing configuration and modular design will also allow engineers to test different wing sweep angles and replace active control effectors with new solutions in future experiments.
In a statement, Larry Wirsing, vice president of aircraft development at Aurora Flight Sciences, stated that the company continues to advance its long-standing partnership with DARPA to complete the construction of the X-65 and demonstrate, in flight, the capabilities of active flow control.
With the final integration of the systems underway and the production of other structures still progressing in West Virginia, the program is moving towards the first flight scheduled for 2027. The test is expected to represent one of the most relevant milestones so far in evaluating the use of air jets as an alternative to conventional aircraft control systems.
Source and image: Facebook: AuroraFlightSciences | Darpa. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
