New X-Plane to Be Unveiled at MAX POWER
NASA's next experimental aircraft, announced in research-stage form, extends its flight-test pipeline beyond the X-59.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Space
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NASA plans to announce a new experimental X-plane during the MAX POWER aerospace exhibition at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Nov. 6-8, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed on an Oct. 30 podcast. The aircraft has not been identified, and the program is at the announcement stage, not an available aircraft.
Why it matters
The planned announcement extends NASA's expanded experimental aircraft effort, which follows a May directive calling for additional X-plane development targeting civil, commercial and national security airframes and propulsion systems. It signals a continuing pipeline of flight-test vehicles beyond the current X-59 program.
The only measured figures cited are the X-59's Mach 1.53 top speed and flight altitude above 56,000 feet, both from its first year of flight testing. No specifications exist yet for the forthcoming X-plane, so no performance comparison can be drawn.
The players
NASA
The U.S. space agency, which runs the X-plane experimental aircraft program and the X-59 quiet supersonic research project.
Jared Isaacman
NASA's Administrator, who issued the May X-plane directive and confirmed the upcoming announcement.
The details
NASA's X-plane designation covers experimental research aircraft used to test new airframe and propulsion technologies outside a conventional development track. The X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is being built to evaluate ways to reduce the sonic boom that supersonic flight produces over populated areas. The upcoming aircraft's technical approach has not been described, and the May directive only specifies that the targeted technologies serve civil, commercial and national security uses.
Timeline
Oct. 30: Isaacman confirmed the upcoming announcement on NASASpaceFlight's The Flame Trench podcast.
May: Isaacman issued the directive calling for additional X-plane development.
Nov. 6-8: MAX POWER exhibition at Kennedy Space Center, where the X-59 is listed and the announcement is scheduled.
The Tech Race
NASA is expanding its experimental aircraft portfolio beyond the X-59, which has reached Mach 1.53 in flight testing. The announcement adds to a competitive effort to develop aircraft technologies for civil, commercial and national security uses, though no rival program was named in the source.
The announcement itself changes nothing for users, since the aircraft is undisclosed and no availability timeline exists. Any eventual benefit will depend on the aircraft's research mission, which NASA has not yet described.
The takeaway
Watch the Nov. 6-8 MAX POWER announcement for the new X-plane's identity and whether it targets high-speed research. The next concrete signal will be whether NASA names a research mission and a flight-test schedule for the aircraft.
What happens next
NASA is scheduled to make the X-plane announcement during the MAX POWER exhibition at Kennedy Space Center, Nov. 6-8, where the X-59 is also listed to appear.
Further reading
For background on NASA's flight programs, see Space coverage across the United States.
Source note: This article includes information reported by AVweb.
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