Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, is working to design an X-plane that offers ground-breaking capabilities for runway-independent air mobility. As part of this effort, Aurora recently completed stability and control wind tunnel testing for its high-speed vertical take-off and landing (HSVTOL) concept. This testing marks a significant milestone in the preliminary design phase of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) programme.
The SPRINT programme aims to design, build, and fly an X-plane that demonstrates key technologies enabling a transformative combination of high aircraft speed and runway independence. Aurora Flight Sciences’ concept features embedded lift fan technology and a blended wing body design, offering scalable capability to cruise at 450 KTAS (833.4 km/h) while taking off and landing vertically on unprepared surfaces.
“This SPRINT wind tunnel test has validated our analytical estimates of the performance of the aircraft. With this successful risk reduction testing completed, the program is ready to proceed into detailed design,” said Larry Wirsing, vice president of aircraft development at Aurora Flight Sciences. “Aurora and Boeing have assembled a world class team of experts in advanced vertical lift technologies, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to continue working with the Government team to finish the design, build, and flight test of this aircraft that will demonstrate game-changing capabilities in speed, agility, and cargo capacity.”
The recent wind tunnel test was the second major testing event in the X-plane’s preliminary design phase. It follows last year’s ground effect test, which demonstrated that the “suck-down” effects created by the lift fans during hover were negligible, and that the landing gear is set at the correct height to minimise any adverse pitching moments during ground operations.
