Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, has been selected for phase 1 of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) SPeed and Runway INdependent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane Demonstration Project. This project aims to design, build, and fly an X-Plane to demonstrate technologies and integrated concepts necessary for a transformational combination of aircraft speed and runway independence. This initial award funds work to reach a conceptual design review and includes an executable option to continue work through preliminary design review.
Aurora is designing a high lift, low drag fan-in-wing (FIW) demonstrator aircraft that integrates a blended wing body platform, with embedded engines and moderate sweep, with a vertical flight design comprised of embedded lift fans linked to the engines via mechanical drives. The aircraft would deliver game-changing air mobility capability by combining cruise at over 450 KTAS with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) in a single platform.
The combined Aurora and Boeing team brings deep experience in agile vehicle prototyping, vertical lift and cruise transition technology, and blended wing body aero performance. The program will build on past flight programs like the Boeing X-48 blended wing body aircraft and the Aurora Excalibur UAS that combined jet-borne vertical lift with three electric, louvered lift fans that would retract into the wing in forward flight.
The program is targeting first flight of the X-Plane demonstrator within 42 months.
On the new Aurora X-Plane, the aircraft’s fans will retract into the wings during its forward flight mode.
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This seems like a redo of Senior Citizen?
Gee, where have we heard the name Aurora in reference to military aircraft, before? “The Aurora? It doesn’t exist.”
This has probably been around a long time. Always been curious to see one of these types of aircraft officially perform. Curious that it’s the name of a company, now.
Jack of all trades, master of none. I.e. why flying cars have been going nowhere for so long but modern high power density electric motor tech is finally helping. But maybe this will have some niche.
Here I was hoping for a tail-sitter design like the Convair Pogo. Disappointed to find it’s a conventional VTOL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_XFY_Pogo
450 KTAS is 517 mph, 833.4 kph, or 0.67 mach.
OK, its a demonstrator, but thats slower than a Harrier. The lesson of the F35B seemed to be that a separate fan to provide lift adds to the complications, rather than just directing the exhaust down.