X-65 test aircraft with 14 nozzles takes shape in West Virginia

DARPA’s experimental X-65 aircraft, under development by Aurora Flight Sciences in West Virginia, is designed to test an innovative Active Flow Control (AFC) system that replaces traditional mechanical control surfaces like flaps, rudders, and ailerons with precise air jets emitted from 14 nozzles in its wings and tail. This approach aims to reduce aircraft weight, complexity, drag, and radar visibility by controlling airflow to maneuver the plane, such as rolling, pitching, and steering, without physical moving parts. The X-65 features a distinctive diamond-shaped wing, chosen for its natural generation of diverse airflow patterns and susceptibility to flow separation, which the AFC system exploits to create virtual control surfaces. Although the aircraft will initially include conventional control surfaces as “training wheels” for safety and baseline performance, the ultimate goal is to operate solely using the AFC system. The X-65 is expected to achieve transonic speeds and improve low-speed handling and high-angle-of-attack performance, areas where diamond