"X-65: The Dawn of a New Aviation Era with DARPA's Revolutionary Aircraft Set for 2025 Flight"
DARPA, in collaboration with Aurora Flight Sciences, is constructing the X-65 aircraft, a part of the CRANE program, which aims to revolutionize flight control by using active flow control (AFC) actuators instead of traditional moving surfaces like flaps and rudders. The X-65 will retain conventional control surfaces as a precaution while testing the new AFC technology. With a wingspan of 30 feet and a top speed of Mach 0.7, the aircraft is set to be completed by early 2025, with its first flight planned for the summer of that year. The X-65's modular design will allow for future testing beyond the CRANE program.