FlightGlobal
• Ryan Finnerty
DARPA X-65 active-flow-control demonstrator delayed to late 2027; will test 'air-burst' steering in place of flaps and rudders
Aurora Flight Sciences (a Boeing company) is assembling the X-65 unmanned demonstrator for DARPA to collect flight-test data on active flow control — using jets of air or “air bursts” to effect pitch, roll and yaw instead of conventional flaps and rudders. The programme has slipped roughly two years, with a first flight now expected in late 2027.
