Aurora X-65 CRANE

In charge are the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences.

[3] Aurora Flight Sciences embarked on the development of an experimental X-plane, as part of the DARPA's CRANE programme, in November 2020.

DARPA allocated funds for the detailed engineering design of a full-scale X-plane in December 2022.

Aurora Flight Sciences was commissioned to construct a full-scale X-plane in January 2024.

[4] The acronym CRANE refers to a DARPA programme called Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors.