DARPA has assigned the designation X-76 to the Pace and Runway Impartial Applied sciences (SPRINT) mission, a Bell proof-of-concept expertise demonstrator for a high-speed tiltrotor.
The DARPA (Protection Advance Analysis Venture Company) has introduced on Mar. 9, 2026, that it has assigned the brand new X-76 designation to the X-plane being developed as a part of the Pace and Runway Impartial Expertise (SPRINT) program. The plane will exhibit applied sciences enabling high-speed flight with out the necessity for conventional runways.
The company says the plane has handed a Essential Design Evaluation (CDR) and is at the moment being constructed by Bell Textron. The corporate has beforehand launched pictures of a scale mannequin of the demonstrator throughout wind tunnel testing in 2024, as we reported right here at The Aviationist.
Introducing our newest X-Aircraft, the X-76! ⚡
A part of a joint effort with @USSOCOM on the SPRINT program, this experimental plane is being constructed by @BellFlight to exhibit runway-independent, high-speed flight. pic.twitter.com/hBnDzjcHAO
— DARPA (@DARPA) March 9, 2026
“Coinciding with the nation’s 250th anniversary, the X-76 designation is a deliberate nod to the revolutionary spirit of 1776,” says DARPA within the press launch.
SPRINT
The SPRINT program is a joint effort between DARPA and U.S. Particular Operations Command. The purpose is to advance applied sciences “that might break the long-standing army trade-off between the excessive velocity of fixed-wing plane and the agile, runway-independent operations of vertical takeoff and touchdown platforms.”
“The design, building, and flight testing of the X-76 will drive progressive, runway-independent, vertical-lift functionality with jet-like cruise efficiency and inform future wants,” says DARPA. The applied sciences that shall be validated by this demonstrator might be scaled to completely different measurement army plane, additional says the company.
The purpose of this system is to supply these plane with the power to cruise at speeds from 400 to 450 knots at related altitudes and hover in austere environments from unprepared surfaces.
“For too lengthy, the runway has been each an enabler and a tether, granting velocity however making a crucial vulnerability,” stated Cmdr. Ian Higgins, U.S. Navy, serving because the DARPA SPRINT program supervisor. “With SPRINT, we’re not simply constructing an X-plane; we’re constructing choices. We’re working to ship the choice of shock, the choice of speedy reinforcement, and the choice of life-saving velocity, anyplace on the globe, without having any runway.”
“Bell is honored to obtain the X-76 designation and proceed the spirit of American innovation honoring the founding of america in 1776,” stated Jason Hurst, Bell SVP, Engineering. “This is a crucial milestone because the Bell and DARPA staff advances to a historic first in aviation historical past and fulfill our mission of creating next-generation vertical-lift plane.”
The corporate described the X-76 as the most recent chapter of its 90-year historical past of X-plane improvement, which incorporates plane such because the X-1, the primary plane to fly sooner than the velocity of sound. “The Bell staff appears ahead to seeing X-76 take flight and convey this functionality to our warfighters,” added Hurst.
The preliminary Part 1A of this system was launched in November 2023, resulting in conceptual design evaluations. In Could 2024, Bell and Aurora Flight Sciences have been down-selected and awarded contracts for Part 1B, with roughly one 12 months to finish preliminary design work for his or her plane.
Part 2 was launched in Could 2025, and a month later Bell Textron was awarded a contract for Phases 2 and three. This system has now shifted focus to manufacturing, integration, meeting, and floor testing of the X-76 demonstrator, forward of flight testing throughout Part 3 in early 2028.
Bell’s Demonstrator
Bell has beforehand proven photographs of the mannequin used throughout wind tunnel testing on the Nationwide Institute for Aviation Analysis (NIAR) at Wichita State College.
The plane, equally to straightforward tiltrotors, has two wings with compact rotor nacelles. The principle distinction is what Bell has referred to as the Cease/Fold rotor system, which options fold-away rotor blades, suggesting a major concentrate on decreasing drag and optimizing for high-speed and environment friendly airflow.
The central physique seems sturdy, doubtless designed for stability throughout high-speed maneuvers or transitions. The plane additionally options two tails canted outwards, simply above the engine’s nozzle.
In response to Bell, the Cease/Fold system permits plane to fold and unfold rotors in addition to rotor blades mid-flight, mixing helicopter-like versatility with jet-like velocity. Wind tunnel checks have been described as crucial in proving this idea works, as they verified the plane’s stability and management because it transitions by means of rotor folding and unfolding throughout flight.
