Over the past 60 years, NASA has been involved in several X-plane programs that have demonstrated technologies that changed the way aircraft are designed. We take a look at NASA’s X-planes and their contributions.

Double-bubble D8, Blended Wing Body, Transonic Truss-Braced Wing, Hybrid Wing Body and a small-airliner-size BWB – the configurations NASA is considering for planned ultra-efficient subsonic transport demonstrators.

As NASA widens its search for ultra-efficient X-plane demonstrators, little-known design house Dzyne Technologies unveils its proposal for a blended wing-body business jet and small airliner.

Risk of injury from drones falling on people’s heads appears to be less than expected, but a small UAS hitting an aircraft will not be the same as a birdstrike, initial research indicates.

Israel’s ducted-rotor cargo UAS; distributed flaps improve efficiency; submarine-launched drone tested; Prodrone’s grasping, clinging UAS; DARPA’s counter-UAS Dragnet.

Bell Helicopter plans to offer tiltrotors for almost every anticipated U.S. military requirement as its V-280 Valor prototype comes together in Amarillo, Texas.

With about $40 million a year to spend, the agency’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project has so far funded 15 subprojects in three annual selection rounds.

Double-bubble, blended wing-body, truss-braced wing, hybrid wing-body—they all sound tempting, but which will NASA pick for its next X-plane and what can it afford?