DARPA SPRINT X-76 ‘ The Speed of a Jet, The Freedom of a Helicopter‘ enters build phase to demonstrate runway-independent, high-speed flight.
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Press Release, Ballston VA, 09 March 2026: Announcing DARPA’s Newest X-Plane, X-76. Eliminating one of the battlefield’s most difficult choices – between the high speed of an aircraft that needs a runway and the go-anywhere flexibility of a slower helicopter – is the goal of DARPA’s SPeed and Runway INdependent Technologies (SPRINT) programme.
SPRINT’s experimental aircraft, officially revealed as the X-76, is now being built by Bell Textron, Inc. following a successful Critical Design Review (CDR). The designation places it within the historic lineage of X-planes that have long served to test the boundaries of aviation. Coinciding with the country’s 250th anniversary, the X-76 designation is a deliberate nod to the revolutionary spirit of 1776.
The SPRINT programme is a joint effort between DARPA and US Special Operations Command to advance technologies that could break the long-standing military trade-off between the high speed of fixed-wing aircraft and the agile, runway-independent operations of vertical takeoff and landing platforms. The design, construction, and flight testing of the X-76 will drive innovative, runway-independent, vertical-lift capability with jet-like cruise performance and inform future needs.
The Mission: Breaking Aviation’s Oldest Trade-Off. SPRINT began its second phase (Phase 2) in May 2025 following the downselect to Bell. With the successful completion of the CDR, the programme will shift focus to manufacturing, integration, assembly, and ground testing of the X-76 demonstrator. The demonstrator will mature technologies necessary for a transformational combination of the following capabilities:
- Achieve cruise at speeds exceeding 400 knots
- Hover in austere environments
- Operate from unprepared surfaces
“For too long, the runway has been both an enabler and a tether, granting speed but creating a critical vulnerability,” said Cmdr. Ian Higgins, US Navy, serving as the DARPA SPRINT programme manager. “With SPRINT, we’re not just building an X-plane; we’re building options. We’re working to deliver the option of surprise, the option of rapid reinforcement, and the option of life-saving speed, anywhere on the globe, without needing any runway.”
Phase 2 will be followed by a flight test programme in Phase 3, which is planned for early 2028.
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