NASA’s new experimental X-70 plane will be used to test next-gen aviation technologies

<figure> <img alt="An AI-generated image depicting the NASA X-70 Fractal experimental aircraft." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: NASA" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/nasa-x-70-image.webp?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yesterday <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-announces-x-70-experimental-aircraft-to-advance-flight-research/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-announces-x-70-experimental-aircraft-to-advance-flight-research/">NASA announced the latest addition to its X-series</a> of experimental aircraft that have included the Bell X-1 that first broke the sound barrier nearly 80 years ago, and the more recent <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/15/24157749/nasas-quiet-supersonic-airplane-is-getting-closer-to-taking-flight" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/15/24157749/nasas-quiet-supersonic-airplane-is-getting-closer-to-taking-flight">X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator</a>. The new X-70 Fractal is designed to be a "high-performance, highly adaptable research platform" that NASA can use as a testbed for the development and testing of next-generation aviation technologies.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The agency only released an AI-generated image of the X-70 shrouded in smoke and shadows, but confirmed several of the plane's capabilities. It will be a crewed aircraft with a cruising speed of Mach .75 that can reac …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1027426/nasa-experimental-x-70-fractal-aircraft">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>