Aurora Flight Sciences presents its X-65 unmanned aircraft, designed to demonstrate Active Flow Control (AFC) as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program.
Purpose-built for testing at tactically relevant scale and flight conditions, the platform showcases a fully integrated AFC system that enables aircraft control through the precise release of air over its surfaces.
The video highlights how AFC effectors are distributed across the aircraft’s flying surfaces, supporting maneuvering in roll, pitch, and yaw, while augmenting control surface effectiveness, including during takeoff. The X-65’s modular design features replaceable outboard wings and swappable AFC effectors, alongside an integrated system comprising air distribution, valves, and effector nozzles.
With a 30 ft wingspan, 7,220 lbs gross weight, and an uncrewed configuration, the aircraft is tailored for AFC flight test data collection and AFC-actuated flight control. The X-65 demonstrates high-speed flight control using active flow control.
