Is DARPA’s Enigmatic X-65 Aircraft Poised to Transform Aircraft Design?

The U.S. military is developing aircraft that can fly without the mechanical control surfaces such as ailerons, elevators, and rudders that most current aircraft use to control. Experts say the technology could improve stealth aircraft, but is unlikely to enter the risk-averse world of commercial aviation.

The one-off experimental X-65 aircraft will replace its movable control surfaces with jets of compressed air. This technique is called active flow control.