Farewell to Flaps and Ailerons: DARPA's X-65 Prepares to Revolutionize Aerodynamics - Economic Scenarios

Farewell to flaps and ailerons: DARPA's X-65 prepares to revolutionize aerodynamics - Economic Scenarios

For over a century, aviation has relied on the same tried-and-tested moving surfaces to propel aircraft, but the Pentagon has evidently decided that the

DARPA’s X-65 Active Flow Control Demonstrator is Taking Shape

Aurora Flight Sciences and DARPA are continuing the assembly of the X-65 CRANE demonstrator, targeting a first flight by 2027. Aurora Flight Sciences’ (AFS) latest X-Plane, now designated the X-65, is taking its final shape. The company unveiled the fuselage of the unmanned demonstrator, which uses Active Flow Control (AFC) in place of conventional control surfaces, in two images in Feb. 24, 2026 and Apr. 2 on social media. The aircraft is still…