Active flow control technology would use small bursts of air from a wing or other air foil surface to shift the aircraft’s position or direction.

Two decades after demonstrating the promise of active flow control, DARPA has returned to the topic with the goal of flying an X-plane that can finally take the technology over the transition ...

Active flow control technology has the potential to replace traditional flaps and rudders, which are used to maneuver most aircraft today. AFC may deliver benefits in areas such as aerodynamics, ...

Credit: Active flow control could enable novel configurations for aircraft. Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences is the first company to receive a contract under a new DARPA program to build ...

Research from Nature Portfolio Recent studies have demonstrated innovative approaches for integrating plasma actuator technology into active flow control systems.

Active flow control involves the manipulation of a flow field – through the addition of energy — to improve the aerodynamic performance of an aircraft structure.

In Phase 1, which is already completed, Aurora created an aircraft that was able to use active flow control to demonstrate control in a wind tunnel test.

The X-65 is being designed around a concept called “active flow control” (AFC), which eliminates use of traditional moving control surfaces to manoeuvre an aircraft.

“Aurora’s X-plane candidate uses active flow control (AFC) for multiple effects, including flight control at tactical speeds and performance enhancement across the flight envelope,” says the ...

Aurora’s experimental active flow control design is progressing in a US military X-plane competition to produce an aircraft capable of controlled flight without the use of traditional moving ...

The active flow control is implemented using a patent-pending Coanda valve designed by Williams and his students, and this was their first chance to show the design's success on an aircraft.