Aurora Flight Sciences is designing an X-plane that uses fan-in-wing technology to provide high speed, runway independent mobility for contested environments. Newly released renderings of the vertical lift concept depict a scalable technology for airborne logistics and personnel recovery missions in locations without a prepared runway.
source.image: Global Update
Aurora is developing an X-plane that combines vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability with top speeds of over 840km/h. Currently in the design phase, the aircraft uses a blended-wing-body (BWB) and fan-in-wing (FIW) propulsion to provide high speed and be able to land and take-off independently of runways.
The SPRINT X-plane is intended to be a proof-of-concept technology demonstrator and its flight test program seeks to validate enabling technologies and integrated concepts that can be scaled to different size military aircraft.
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The goal of the program is to provide these aircraft with the ability to cruise at speeds from 400 to 450 knots at relevant altitudes and hover in austere environments from unprepared surfaces. Aurora envisions a future where this fan-in-wing technology can be scaled to create a family of aircraft, including medium and heavy lift variants. These larger aircraft could have wingspans up to 130 feet, featuring multiple lift fans and payload capacities.
