Authored by Chris Young via Interesting Engineering, Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences has begun installing the wings on the X-65, an experimental drone developed under DARPA’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program. The installation brings DARPA and Aurora a step closer to flying the unconventional uncrewed aircraft, which was designed to test flight control using only bursts of pressurized air instead of conventional moving surfaces. The X-65’s active flow control The X-65’s key innovation lies in its active flow control (AFC) system. Fourteen AFC effectors embedded across the aircraft’s lifting surfaces use jets of high-pressure air to manage roll, pitch, and yaw. This will either replace or supplement traditional flaps and rudders. The X-65 incorporates both systems to establish performance baselines before transitioning to AFC-only operation. Essentially, it will allow researchers to flight test the technology while minimizing risk. “The X-65 conventional surfaces are like training wheels to help us understand how AFC can be used in place of traditional flaps and rudders,” Dr. Richard Wlezien, former CRANE program manager at DARPA, …