US EditionUnited States’ Unveils Futuristic Fleet of Nextâgen Airplanes
The X-76 will cruise above 400 knots and hover from unprepared surfaces, advancing military aircraft flexibility under DARPA's SPRINT programme.
- This week the X-76 demonstrator entered the build phase after a Critical Design Review, moving into manufacturing, integration and ground testing.
- The Speed and Runway Independent Technologies programme aims to overcome runway dependency, addressing the speed-versus-runway trade-off with conventional fixed-wing aircraft and vertical take-off platforms, DARPA said.
- Bell Textron is building the X-76 demonstrator for the SPRINT programme, designed to cruise at speeds exceeding 400 knots with hover capability and operation from unprepared surfaces, continuing the U.S. X-planes lineage with a 250th anniversary reference.
- Flight testing is scheduled to begin in early 2028 after assembly and ground testing, with DARPA aiming to validate rapid deployment and flexible operations.
- If successful, X-76 technologies could reshape basing and deployment by enabling high-speed runway-independent operations, addressing the speed-versus-runway trade-off in austere environments.
52 Articles
52 Articles
The United States Advanced Defense Research Project Agency (DARPA) confirmed the development of a new experimental aircraft known as X-76 developed by Bell Textron.
The experimental aircraft should combine the speed of a fighter jet with the flexibility of a vertical launcher – and end the dependence on runways
America unveils high-speed runway-independent X-76 aircraft
The United States has unveiled a new experimental aircraft designed to combine jet-like speed with the flexibility of helicopter operations. The aircraft, designated X-76, is being built by Bell Textron as part of DARPA’s Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) programme. The project has now entered its build phase following the successful completion of a Critical Design Review, marking the transition from design work to manufacturing…
United States’ unveils futuristic fleet of next‑gen airplanes
Artist impression of the X-76 aircraft. (DARPA via SWNS) By Dean Murray The United States is to unleash a futuristic fleet of next‑gen warplanes. The new X‑Plane, officially revealed as the X‑76, is able to take off without a runway but still fly at fast speeds like a fighter jet. DARPA, the research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense, announced Monday (Mar 9) that it has begun building the aircraft. They said: "El…
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