NASA Unveils X-70 Fractal, a Secretive Experimental Research Jet

NASA has disclosed the existence of a new experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, releasing performance figures and computer-generated renderings while withholding photographs and most design details, according to the agency, as reported by Wired.

What has NASA released about the X-70 Fractal?

NASA describes the X-70 Fractal as a research platform intended to conduct advanced aeronautical tests, Wired reported. The agency has not published actual photos of the aircraft, relying instead on illustrations, and has kept most design specifics confidential. NASA has confirmed, however, that the vehicle is a crewed, subsonic aircraft rather than a spacecraft, meaning it is not built to reach Earth orbit or operate outside the atmosphere.

How fast and how high can it fly?

According to figures NASA provided to Wired, the X-70 Fractal has a maximum speed of Mach 0.75, or roughly 575 miles per hour, and can climb above 45,000 feet, placing it well into the stratosphere and above the cruising altitude of commercial jets. The aircraft can travel nearly 1,700 miles on a single flight, per the same figures.

What will the modular design be used for?

The aircraft's defining feature is a modular structure that allows rapid installation and replacement of experimental equipment both inside and outside the airframe, Wired reported, citing NASA. That flexibility is why the agency refers to the X-70 Fractal as an "experimental platform" rather than a fixed-purpose research jet. The plane will also carry reconfigurable flight control systems, letting NASA test different steering methods without building a separate aircraft for each project, and it is rated to carry up to one ton of experimental equipment, according to the figures cited by Wired.

NASA has said the aircraft will enable research into maneuver capabilities "never before demonstrated in crewed aircraft," Wired reported, though the agency has not specified what those maneuvers will involve.

When will the aircraft make its first flight?

NASA expects the X-70 Fractal to make its first flight under the agency's banner within the next two years, according to the figures Wired obtained. No firm date has been set publicly.

Why is NASA building another experimental aircraft now?

Aeronautics research predates NASA's space program. The agency traces its roots to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, founded in 1915 and absorbed into NASA upon its creation in 1958. Since then, the agency has built a series of experimental, or "X-plane," aircraft to test supersonic flight, propulsion systems and new aerodynamic shapes, not all of which lead to operational aircraft. A recent example is the X-59, developed with Lockheed Martin to study ways of reducing sonic-boom noise from supersonic flight, which NASA tested over the Mojave Desert in March 2026, per Wired.

In its 2027 budget documents, cited by Wired, NASA identifies aeronautical research as a means of maintaining US technological leadership amid growing international competition. The X-70 Fractal is intended to extend that line of work, though the agency has not disclosed a cost estimate or named a contractor for the program.

X-70 Fractal, by the numbers

• Top speed: Mach 0.75 (about 575 mph)
• Maximum altitude: above 45,000 feet
• Range: nearly 1,700 miles per flight
• Payload: up to one ton of experimental equipment
• Expected first flight: within two years, per NASA