NASA unveils mysterious X-70 experimental aircraft using AI-generated image

NASA has announced a new experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, that will supposedly feature reconfigurable flight-control technology and a modular design for swapping in different payloads. But much remains unknown about the aircraft’s design and development timeline, even as NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said the X-plane could take flight within two years.

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）宣布了一款名为“X-70分形”（X-70 Fractal）的新型实验飞机，据称该机型将具备可重构飞行控制技术和用于更换不同载荷的模块化设计。然而，尽管NASA局长贾里德·艾萨克曼（Jared Isaacman）表示该X系列飞机有望在两年内首飞，但关于其设计和开发时间表的细节仍知之甚少。

The mystery surrounding NASA’s newest X-plane was exemplified by the agency’s press release, including an apparently AI-generated image of the X-70, showing a dark silhouette vaguely resembling a military fighter jet obscured by smoke. The news was announced by Isaacman during the UP.Summit held at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 4.

NASA最新X系列飞机的神秘感在机构发布的新闻稿中体现得淋漓尽致，其中包括一张疑似由人工智能生成的X-70图像，画面显示一个模糊的深色轮廓，看起来像是一架被烟雾笼罩的军用战斗机。这一消息是由艾萨克曼于11月4日在佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心举行的UP.Summit峰会上宣布的。

“The X-70 Fractal gives NASA a crewed, high-performance platform to test advanced flight-control, maneuverability, and other cutting-edge technologies in real flight,” Isaacman said. “Its modular design and ability to rapidly swap internal and external payloads will keep our teams flying, learning, and moving quickly from one experiment to the next.”

“X-70分形为NASA提供了一个载人高性能平台，用于在实际飞行中测试先进的飞行控制、机动性以及其他尖端技术，”艾萨克曼说道。“其模块化设计以及快速更换内外载荷的能力，将使我们的团队能够持续飞行、学习，并迅速从一个实验转向下一个实验。”

NASA’s press release described the X-70 as a crewed aircraft designed to cruise at Mach 0.75 while reaching a maximum altitude of up to 45,000 feet, and having an operational range beyond 1,726 miles (2,778 kilometers). The article did not mention a specific aircraft manufacturer that might be helping the agency develop the X-plane.

NASA的新闻稿将X-70描述为一架载人飞机，设计巡航速度为0.75马赫，最大飞行高度可达45,000英尺，作战半径超过1,726英里（2,778公里）。文章并未提及可能协助该机构开发此款X系列飞机的具体飞机制造商。

The X-70 would also have a takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) and a design capable of accommodating up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) of experimental payloads both internally and externally. Ars has reached out to NASA for more details.

X-70的起飞重量为10,000磅（4,536公斤），其设计能够容纳总计达2,000磅（907公斤）的内部和外部实验载荷。《Ars》已联系NASA以获取更多细节。

Return of the Blackbird? Another X-plane is also expected to be announced at the UP.Summit on November 6, according to Aviation Week. That would coincide with a scheduled announcement from President Donald Trump at the event.

“黑鸟”回归？据《航空周刊》（Aviation Week）报道，预计在11月6日的UP.Summit峰会上还将宣布另一款X系列飞机。这恰逢唐纳德·特朗普总统在活动中预定的演讲时间。

This comes after Isaacman previously appeared in front of another smoke-shrouded silhouette image with the tagline “Rebuilding our X-plane portfolio” during the All-In Summit in Los Angeles held from September 12–14, according to TWZ. That silhouette appeared strikingly similar to the SR-71 Blackbird that flew Cold War reconnaissance missions at supersonic speeds in the stratosphere.

据TWZ报道，在此之前，艾萨克曼曾在9月12日至14日于洛杉矶举行的All-In峰会上，站在另一张被烟雾笼罩的轮廓图前，背景标语为“重建我们的X系列飞机组合”。该轮廓看起来与冷战时期在平流层以超音速执行侦察任务的SR-71“黑鸟”侦察机惊人地相似。

Rumors have circulated about a possible revival of the SR-71 in one form or another, after former NASA employees told Aviation Week they received job offers to help restore an SR-71 to operational flight capability. In September, the publication also reported on the removal of a NASA-owned SR-71 with the tail number 844 that had stood on display at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center inside Edwards Air Force Base in California.

在一些前NASA员工告诉《航空周刊》他们收到工作邀请，协助将一架SR-71恢复至可飞行状态后，关于SR-71可能以某种形式复出的传言便开始流传。9月，该刊物还报道称，一架归NASA所有、尾号为844的SR-71被移走，该机此前一直陈列在加利福尼亚州爱德华兹空军基地内的NASA阿姆斯特朗飞行研究中心。

Quiet supersonic flight testing Meanwhile, NASA recently commemorated the first flight anniversary of its supersonic X-59 Quesst, a needle-nosed aircraft designed by Lockheed Martin to reduce sonic booms to sonic thumps. Ars has previously looked at how this X-plane program is intended to support the design of future supersonic airliners that may fly overland while minimizing disturbances for buildings and people below.

静音超音速飞行测试。与此同时，NASA最近纪念了其超音速X-59“奎斯特”（Quesst）首飞一周年。这是一款由洛克希德·马丁公司设计的针鼻式飞机，旨在将音爆减弱为“音砰”。《Ars》此前曾探讨过该X系列飞机项目如何旨在支持未来超音速客机的设计，使其在陆地上空飞行时能最大限度地减少对下方建筑物和民众的干扰。

Since first taking to the skies on October 28, 2025, the X-59 has completed over 40 flight tests, including both low-speed flights and supersonic test runs reaching Mach 1.53, according to NASA. Such testing has taken place at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center inside Edwards Air Force Base in California.

据NASA称，自2025年10月28日首次升空以来，X-59已完成了40多次飞行测试，包括低速飞行和达到1.53马赫的超音速测试。此类测试均在加利福尼亚州爱德华兹空军基地内的NASA阿姆斯特朗飞行研究中心进行。

The X-59 also recently completed its first cross-country journey from California to Florida with stopovers in Texas and Alabama, accompanied by an F-15 and an F/A-18 from the agency’s research fleet that served as chase planes. It sat on the ground as a static display during the NASA Max Power airshow at Kennedy Space Center in Florida from November 7–8.

X-59最近还完成了从加利福尼亚州到佛罗里达州的首次跨国飞行，中途在德克萨斯州和阿拉巴马州停留，并由该机构研究机队中的一架F-15和一架F/A-18作为伴飞飞机护航。11月7日至8日，它在佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心举行的NASA“最大动力”（Max Power）航展上进行了静态展示。

The supersonic aircraft will resume its test flight schedule once it returns to Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, a NASA spokesperson told Ars. Given the agency’s latest X-plane push, the X-59 may not be flying alone for many more years.

一位NASA发言人告诉《Ars》，这架超音速飞机在返回加利福尼亚州的阿姆斯特朗飞行研究中心后，将恢复其试飞计划。鉴于该机构最近在X系列飞机上的推进力度，X-59可能不会再孤单飞行太久了。