Bell X-76 X-Plane
Bell has spent 90 years building the aircraft that science fiction promised us, and the X-76 might be the closest it's ever come to delivering. The Fort Worth aerospace company has cleared the Critical Design Review for DARPA's SPRINT program and can now begin building the demonstrator in earnest. At the heart of it is Bell's Stop/Fold rotor system, which uses wingtip-mounted proprotors that physically fold away as the aircraft shifts from hover to forward flight, enabling jet-like cruise speeds of 400 to 450 knots with full runway independence. It's the kind of machine military films have imagined for decades, finally taking shape. The X-76 designation is a deliberate nod to America's 250th anniversary and the Right Stuff era that Bell helped define. Flight testing is expected to begin in early 2028.
