US NATIONAL NEWS
Next Generation Experimental Aircraft Becomes NASA’s Newest X-Plane
NASA and Boeing said Monday the aircraft produced through the agency’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project has been designated by the U.S. Air Force as the X-66A.
The new X-plane seeks to inform a potential new generation of more sustainable single-aisle aircraft – the workhorse of passenger airlines around the world. Working with NASA, Boeing will build, test, and fly a full-scale demonstrator aircraft with extra-long, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts, known as a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept.
“At NASA, our eyes are not just focused on stars but also fixated on the sky. The Sustainable Flight Demonstrator builds on NASA’s world-leading efforts in aeronautics as well climate,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The X-66A will help shape the future of aviation, a new era where aircraft are greener, cleaner, and quieter, and create new possibilities for the flying public and American industry alike.”
The X-66A is the first X-plane specifically focused on helping the United States achieve the goal of net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions, which was articulated in the White House’s U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan.
“To reach our goal of net zero aviation emissions by 2050, we need transformative aircraft concepts like the ones we’re flying on the X-66A,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, who announced the designation at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation Forum in San Diego. “With this experimental aircraft, we’re aiming high to demonstrate the kinds of energy-saving, emissions-reducing technologies the aviation industry needs.”
NASA and Boeing sought the X-plane designation shortly after the agency announced the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project award earlier this year. The Air Force confers X-plane status for development programs that set out to create revolutionary experimental aircraft configurations. The designation is for research aircraft. With few exceptions, X-planes are intended to test designs and technologies that can be adopted into other aircraft designs, not serve as prototypes for full production.
“We’re incredibly proud of this designation, because it means that the X-66A will be the next in a long line of experimental aircraft used to validate breakthrough designs that have transformed aviation,” said Todd Citron, Boeing chief technology officer. “With the learnings gained from design, construction, and flight-testing, we’ll have an opportunity to shape the future of flight and contribute to the decarbonization of aerospace.”
For the X-66A, the Air Force provided the designation for an aircraft that validates technologies for a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing configuration that, when combined with other advancements in propulsion systems, materials, and systems architecture, could result in up to 30% less fuel consumption and reduced emissions when compared with today’s best-in-class aircraft.
Due to their heavy usage, single-aisle aircraft today account for nearly half of worldwide aviation emissions. Creating designs and technologies for a more sustainable version of this type of aircraft has the potential for profound impact on emissions.
NASA’s history with the X-plane designation dates to the 1940s, when its predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) jointly created an experimental aircraft program with the Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The X-66A is the latest in a long line of NASA X-planes. Additionally, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, has provided technical expertise and support for several additional X-planes.
For the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator, NASA has a Funded Space Act Agreement with Boeing through which the agency will invest $425 million over seven years, while the company and its partners will contribute the remainder of the funding, estimated at about $725 million. NASA also will contribute technical expertise and facilities.
The Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project is an activity under NASA’s Integrated Aviation Systems Program and a key element of the agency’s Sustainable Flight National Partnership, which focuses on developing new sustainable aviation technologies.
Learn more about the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator at:
Politics
Vice President JD Vance to Visit Milwaukee, Discuss Trump Administration’s Anti-Fraud Efforts
Politics
President Trump Launches Trump Accounts with NYSE, Nasdaq Opening Bell Ceremony from Oval Office
NEW YORK (FNN NEWS) — President Donald Trump marked the official launch of Trump Accounts on Monday by participating in a first-of-its-kind opening bell ceremony for both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq from the Oval Office.
The event celebrated the rollout of the investment account program established under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which the Trump administration says is designed to help eligible American children build long-term wealth through tax-advantaged investment accounts.
Investment Accounts for American Children
According to the White House, Trump Accounts are available to U.S. citizens under the age of 18. Children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, will automatically receive a $1,000 federal seed investment, while families and eligible contributors may make additional investments over time.
The administration said more than six million Trump Accounts have already been requested, with more than 86% of requests coming from families earning less than $200,000 annually.
President Trump Highlights Economic Opportunity
During the ceremony, President Trump said the accounts are intended to allow children to benefit from long-term economic growth.
“With the ringing of the opening bell for the stock market, Trump Accounts will now begin to grow right along with our booming economy,” Trump said. “Between individual contributions and the seed funds, $800 million in new capital will be invested in the stock market for America’s children this week.”
Business and Government Leaders Voice Support
Several business executives and administration officials participated in the announcement, including:
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
- Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies
- Adena Friedman, CEO of Nasdaq
- Lynn Martin, president of the New York Stock Exchange Group
- Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange
- Brad Gerstner, chairman and CEO of Altimeter Capital
- Ted Cruz
Treasury Secretary Bessent said the initiative is intended to expand access to financial markets for American families.
Michael Dell encouraged additional companies to participate by contributing to employees’ children’s accounts.
Private-Sector Participation
The White House announced that philanthropists Michael and Susan Dell are supporting the initiative and said more than 50 companies have committed to making contributions to Trump Accounts for the children of their employees.
Administration officials described the initiative as part of a broader effort to encourage savings, investing and long-term wealth creation for future generations.
The announcement comes as the United States continues events commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary, with administration officials describing Trump Accounts as an investment in America’s next generation.
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